Harry Potter And The Man With The Blue Wand
by Ravenclaw Midnight Blue
Summary: Set 4 years after 'The Lycanthrope Legacy'. A stranger gatecrashes the Hogwarts Christmas party, warning of an alien presence. But what's invading the school? And who is the enemy within? Harry & his friends are in for a hell of a night. Pairings:HL & RHr
1. Chapter 1

_**Harry Potter And The Man With The Blue Wand**_

_Author's Note: As per all of my stories, post The Half-Blood Prince, this adventure is NOT Deathly Hallows compatible! Please read and review! Spotted a mistake? Let me know about it!_

_Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns the rights to the obvious characters. The BBC owns the rights to the Doctor and certain other creations that appear later on. And the remaining characters are of my creation! No money is being made from this story._

Themes: primarily action-adventure – with some mystery, and my usual mixture of humour and dark moments. There will be blood (and death)… You have been warned!

**EPISODE ONE**

**Prologue: Pack**

The herd of deer was roaming through a large clearing on the edge of the forest. Night had fallen, and there was a scattering of clouds which travelled swiftly across the star-lit sky, borne on by the chilly westerly breeze coming in from the sea, a few miles away.

Close to the lake and the loch to their south stood an impressive, castle-like building – its towers, wings, and walkways lit by countless orange-yellow lights.

As his kin stopped to chew the grass at their feet, the head buck of the herd raised his head to peer into the darkness of the line of trees, close by – alerted by a flicker of movement. Another male, at the other end of the gathering, looked up, and gazed at another part of the forest. He raised his nose to the air. There were only the usual scents of the earth and the trees. As well as the freshness of the pool that his young were now drinking from.

Then came the howl.

All the deer – bucks, does, and fawns – felt the chill of terror. They became even more afraid when the howl was answered by three more – coming from the trees on both their north and east sides.

As one, the herd turned and started to run towards the opposite direction. They had barely done so, however, when the clouds were blown clear of the moon, and the change in the light shining down upon the dark clearing revealed the wolf before them now sprinting directly towards the panicking herd.

Acting instinctively, the does were forced by the wolf's approach to split up into two groups. The young ones kept close to their mothers, not daring to slow down.

The head buck faced the dark-furred wolf, and lowered its antlers…

The lupine intruder slowed down – then turned direction. The buck twisted round as well, not wanting to turn its back upon the hunter.

Then the other wolves caught up with the bucks.

There were six of them, in all. Three of them – all dark-furred – silently coordinated with each other, and surrounded the male deer closest to them. The dog-wolf amongst the trio faced the buck – and moved quickly from side to side, to keep the attention of its prey focused. Then the two identical she-wolves leapt at the deer – one from each side, and almost at the same time. It gave a cry as the first of the claw marks were inflicted – then it was borne down to the ground by the practiced attack. The male hunter bounded in – and, avoiding the antlers, angled his snout to rip out the throat of the deer.

He made it quick. There was no honour in making the prey suffer any more than the law of nature dictated.

Not far away, the head buck sensed the rest of the herd escaping, along with one of the remaining bucks. But the leader had its own immediate concerns to think of. Whilst keeping its antlers pointed towards the black-furred wolf that had been the first to strike – three more wolves, of various colours, had pelted towards the scene. Soon, the leading buck was surrounded – trapped underneath an outcrop of rock that it been forced to flee towards.

Antlers and hooves lashed out against the opportunistic lunges of the wolf pack. Blood on both sides was splashed. One wolf was kicked aside by a rear hoof. The brown-furred she-wolf _yelped_ – then twisted itself and bounded back up, the injury already healing.

For a minute or so, there was a stand off. The buck was unable to break through the cordon of the surrounding four wolves. On the other hand, although it had been clawed and bitten, it was still strong enough to resist them. Even badly hurt them, if the final joint attack of the pack was not timed right.

The wolves growled, showing their sharp fangs.

Then one of them – the black-furred one who had forced the herd to break up – moved. The head buck was close enough to see that this hunter bore a white mark on his cranial fur – a lightning-shaped scar on his right temple.

_Stay here! Keep it penned in!_ The message was conveyed with a mixture of lupine body-language and telepathy from the scarred wolf to his immediate pack mates.

_What are you planning, Harry?_ This came from the other male of the four wolves – a ginger-furred specimen.

_An attack from above…_ The Harry-wolf quickly scampered up the slope that led to the rocks at the top of the outcrop. Then he stopped, and concentrated…

In a matter of seconds, his form altered. The wolf changed shape, taking on a humanoid form – with half-human paws that could grasp.

Howling, the wolf man that was Harry Potter timed his attack carefully – and jumped off the rocky ledge, landing on the back of the deer. It buckled underneath his sudden weight, and fell.

One of the other wolves – the brown-furred she-wolf - had also changed form, distracting the buck whilst Harry prepared his flanking attack. Now a wolf woman, Hermione rushed forwards and firmly grasped the antlers with her own paw-like hands.

She snarled. _Ron, Luna…_

The ginger-furred dog-wolf and the grey-and-white she-wolf – together with Harry – moved in and finished off the hunt. Again, following the shared code of their pack, the kill was made swiftly and as cleanly as possible.

As the last of the meat was swallowed down, Harry, Luna, Ron, and Hermione shared a few moments in silence to honour the sacrifice of their prey. Then, licking each other clean – the four, now all restored to full-lupine form, padded across to Clifford, Padma, and Parvati. Clifford and the Patil twins were just cleaning away the remaining scraps from their joint kill.

Clifford swept his amber eyes across the clearing, in the direction that the rest of the herd had disappeared.

_You left the does and fawns alone, too, then?_ he asked his pack mates.

_Oh, yes. That's what we agreed for tonight. The herd needs to survive, as well as us! _Luna responded.

_We'll tell Hagrid in the morning that we've just taken the two bucks. Thankfully, there are more herds in the forest. More than enough for us and the centaurs to hunt for months to come_, Harry declared.

_Thank goodness Hagrid is so good at managing our supply of game, _Hermione observed.

_And we are lucky that the school is so tolerant towards our…occasional necessities, _Padma pointed out. _It has been…what…four years since our pack was established here?_

Ron gave a slow, lupine nod with his muzzle. _Yup. Over four years. With me in charge of half of these hunts, whilst Professor Lupin is tied down with Ministry Business as our werewolf representative…_

_And a fine pack leader you are, Ron! _Hermione stepped up close and nuzzled him. _We are a better pack than Fenrir ever led. We don't even have an Omega wolf, thank goodness!_

_No one is going to be a whipping boy, or whipping girl, amongst this pack!_ Ron snorted. _You're right, Hermione. We are all better than that…_

Parvati meanwhile, had her leathery nose raised to the air – gauging the change in the wind.

_It's turning colder… I fancy tracking down a mouse for dessert – then snuggling up underneath the tree cover. Coming, Clifford? Padma? Anyone?_

There was a chorus of assent – apart from two.

_Luna and I had earlier agreed to have a private run, after our meal,_ Harry declared.

_That's right! Good hunting, friends. We will track you down, later. _Luna gave a lupine smile.

The pack gave a nod of understanding – and they parted.

Harry and Luna set off. They started at a moderate pace, and – minutes later - they increased their speed. The two human-sized wolves pounded up and down the ridges of the southern reaches of the Forbidden Forest – zigzagging through lines of trees, as Harry chased Luna, then overtook and led her on. Now and then, they played tag with each other's tails.

Finally, the couple slowed down and collapsed side by side on a rise that overlooked both the long loch and the eastern face of Hogwarts School for Wizardry and Witchcraft.

The clouds continued to drift across the gibbous moon. It was not full tonight – it would reach that stage by the next sunset. The werewolf pack had not been obliged to transform and hunt this evening. But it was in their natures to do so now and then – to take the edge of the full-moon nights, when they could not fully-retain their human control, Harry reminded himself.

He turned to plant his nostrils against Luna's equally cold nose. The contact sent a shiver of pleasure through both of them. Luna edged herself closer to Harry, pressing her lean body against his, as they began to cool down again after their exercise.

_It's beautiful_, Luna declared.

_What is, Luna?_

_The view… The school. The moon. The night. And so are we – of course! _The she-wolf grinned and gave Harry's muzzle a quick lick.

He flashed his teeth, as he licked her back. Harry felt good. Life – both his human and werewolf lives – was going well. Teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts lessons in Mad Eye Moody's absence was challenging, but he seemed to be doing okay. Still, the end of term was almost upon them. There were just another four dozen tasks to be done…and then it would be time to relax and enjoy another Christmas with Luna, Ron, and Hermione.

His marriage to Luna had made him happier than he thought it was possible for him to be - after all of the trials and tribulations of his childhood and adolescence. The horror of Voldemort's return and his murderous attempts to rule over all wizards and witches of the nation. The brutal remainder of the Death Eater war. And yet, in spite of all he had been forced to endure, Harry had survived. Most of his friends had survived, too…

Having seen enough of death to fill a lifetime in only a few years had definitely knocked him, Harry reflected. He had been lucky to avoid being traumatized. But in turn, his experiences had made him so grateful to all of those he counted as his friends - whatever the nature of their species, human or otherwise. And, most of all, he treasured his understanding and loving wife.

_Yes, we are wonderful, Luna! _he thought back to her.

As one, Harry and Luna cocked back their heads and sent a howl of joy into the chill night air – a long, joint howl that was carried across the moonlit valley of the loch, before it faded away.

From high above, the moon silently watched over her children, as Harry and Luna rose and raced back to rejoin the rest of the pack.

**Chapter One:**

**Arrival At Hogwarts**

Three nights later:

It was a dull, cloudy December evening, towards the end of the year 2002. An early evening that did not bode well for observing the stars high above the Forbidden Forest.

Firenze sighed and stomped his hooves as the centaur turned round in the small clearing. He was about to trot back down the slope to rejoin his kindred companions, when he saw that Susan Bones had joined him on the ridge.

"You seem restless, Firenze." Susan smiled. Adjusting the collar of her thick shirt to ward off the cold air, she then ran her hand along his shoulder and down his firm, human-like chest – stopping to brush the fur where his equine half began. Sometimes, Firenze remembered, she had the habit of aiming for the small of his humanoid back, just above his fur – where Susan had discovered the wise centaur was ticklish.

Firenze smiled back. Before the end of the last Death Eater war, he would never have thought he would be so happy. But four years ago, Professor Flitwick – who had taken over as the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft, after the death of Albus Dumbledore – had helped the outcast Firenze to be reaccepted by the rest of the centaur haras. And then, during the Third Battle of Hogwarts – a day which saw many casualties on both sides in the war – something else had happened, an event which had impacted upon the future of the centaurs living in the Forbidden Forest.

Susan's friend – the younger Hufflepuff pupil, Charlotte Greenway - had her legs crushed by falling masonry during the chaos of the battle. With Charlotte's permission, Professor Flitwick had invoked the centaurs to help the schoolgirl by using their advanced, but almost-forgotten, magic to transform her body into that of a centauress. In doing so, the centaurs were given new hope – as the number of females amongst their haras was few, especially after their losses whilst fighting the Death Eaters and their allies during the terrible, final battle of the war.

Charlotte's boyfriend, Neville Longbottom, had volunteered for the transformation too, so he could be with her. And then, some time later, Susan Bones had offered herself to be changed also, to help re-build the centaur population.

Now the three former-humans had fully adapted to their new lifestyles. Neville and Charlotte had mated and successfully become parents within the first year of their joint centaur lives – with Charlotte giving birth to a beautiful girl-centaur they named Epona, in honour of the Celtic goddess of horses.

And now, as Firenze's mind returned to the present moment, he in turn stroked the edge of Susan's reddish fur. She giggled as his fingers brushed the sensitive point below her belly button where her form became that of an attractive bay horse. All of her was adorable, of course, Firenze considered. Right from her young, human face, and red hair – to the tip of her glossy tail. In human terms, Susan would now be living her twenty-and-third year of life.

He took a few hoof steps back to regard the bulge behind the stomach of Susan's equine half. She was developing well. In another two-three months, Susan would give birth to _their _foal. And he would become a proud father for the first time.

"You have not spoken, Firenze," Susan pointed out, smirking, as she trotted forward and took his hand. "Are you still thinking of a suitable name for our foal?"

"Yes, I am – my dear. But it is the lack of a clear sky that ails me," he answered. "I wanted to read the stars. I sense something coming – an event that troubles my mind – and I wished to read what omens the sky would lay bare to me."

Susan now looked worried. Her slightly-pointed ears flicked briefly. "What do you sense, my beloved? All seems well in the forest…"

Firenze shook his head. "I do not yet know, Susan."

Suddenly, the centaur couple were disturbed as the centauress foal, Epona, raced over to them from the depths of the forest, and skidded to a halt. In the light of dusk, it was becoming hard for human eyes to see. However, in the process of adapting to her centaur form, Susan's night vision had become sharper – and it was now as good as her fellow half-equine beings.

"Godfather Firenze! Godmother Susan! Fire in the sky!" The brown-haired and brown-furred youngster pointed upwards excitedly. The angle of her extended finger indicated the direction she had just come from – only the trees blocked from sight the source of her agitation.

Seconds later, her mother – the now-married Charlotte Longbottom – caught up with Epona. Like her daughter and Susan, the latest centauress was clad in a cotton shirt and jerkin, to preserve her modesty above her human waist. The only other thing that covered the upper part of Charlotte to any degree was her long, free-flowing blonde hair, which now reached halfway down the human half of her back. And she still wore the same metal-framed glasses as she did when she had been fully human.

Charlotte slipped her wedding ring-adorned hand over Epona's shoulder. "Don't run off so far without me or Daddy, my daughter!"

"Sorry, mummy."

"Charlotte, what is going on?" Susan spoke up.

"Yes… Follow me – both of you! Quickly!" Charlotte scooped Epona into her arms, then turned and galloped back the way they had come. The other centaurs followed.

They soon reached a larger clearing, where the lie of the land allowed them to see further to the east. Along with the other centaur already present – Neville Longbottom – the party was just in time to see a light vanish into a distant part of the forest. There was a bright flash – then a loud 'boom'. A shower of earth erupted from the trees visible around the impact site.

Epona, still in her mother's arms, gave a squeal of delight.

"A meteorite?" Susan gasped.

"I had it in sight for about two minutes," Neville declared as he faced his brethren. "Came from nearly directly above, Firenze. Rather slow for a meteorite, wouldn't you say?"

The older centaur ran a hand across his curly beard. "That indeed seems strange, my brother. Yet it has landed with sufficient force, nonetheless."

"Well – you were right, beloved." Susan stepped forward so that her equine flank teasingly brushed Firenze's. "Something _has_ come."

"We had better take a look," Charlotte ventured.

"No – that part of the forest is the territory of the giant spiders," Firenze pointed out. "As you know, they will not look kindly upon the prospect of many hooves invading their domain. And yet…we should be good neighbours. The spiders might have been hurt."

"That leaves the obvious answer, then." Neville turned round on his hooves, ready for a little journey. "There's only one person the spiders tolerate visiting them. We'd better alert Hagrid!"

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

"_Accio spoon!"_

The spoon, lying on the round wooden table, promptly shot towards Hagrid. Only it did so with such force that it struck him on the side of his forehead.

"Agghh!" The half-giant groundsman of the Hogwarts estate clamped a broad, thick hand to his injury, then dropped his wand upon the table and retrieved the fallen, offending utensil – before slamming it next to his wand. "Now, stay there!"

"Hagrid! Are you all right?" Hermione Weasley nearly overturned her chair, as she rushed over to her seated friend. She parted his thick dark hair, found the developing bruise as it appeared, then used her own wand to heal the injury. Eventually, Hagrid gently pushed her back.

" 's alright, Hermione. Don't you fret over me!"

"Well, that last effort was a _definite _improvement – wouldn't you say?" She smiled at him.

"Oh, aye. My first attempts, las' week, barely shifted a marble! I'm glad tha' you've helped me owt, lass." Hagrid paused - then glanced down at his dog Fang, who was lying on his side before the log fire. A sly gleam appeared in Hagrid's eyes. Puzzled, Hermione watched and waited.

"Fang…"

The boarhound opened his eyes briefly upon hearing his name, and then closed them again – content to enjoy the heat against his legs and stomach.

Hagrid pointed his wand at his new target.

"_Accio, Fang!"_

The dog's eyes went wide, and he yelped as the spell pulled his legs up into the air and rolled him over towards his owner. Then, despite protesting canine paws, Fang whined and slid along the floor – stopping only as his nose collided with his owner's boots.

"You've done it!" Hermione was so excited that she clapped. "You've mastered the Fetching spell!"

"At las'. After more years than I can count, 'Mione. For my New Years' resolution, I want tur try out tha' spell where you levitate someone by thur foot. Tha' will startle those sixth-year Ravenclaw lads who fool 'round in my class!"

"You will make a fine wizard yet, Hagrid." Hermione beamed at him.

Suddenly, Fang began to growl. At first Hermione thought it was because the docile dog had finally woken up enough to voice his dislike of her underlying werewolf scent. A scent which she tried to mask with her perfume. But Fang was facing the door near to her. In the next moment, there was the sound of hooves approaching the door. Then a knock.

"I'll get it." Hagrid got up from his wide stool and opened the door to his hut.

"Neville! Good to see yeh, lad!" he exclaimed.

Smiling, Hermione joined him at the doorway. "Hi, Neville! How are you and the other centaurs keeping?" she asked.

"Oh, we're all right. Epona can be a real handful sometimes, but that's parenthood for you – no matter what species you are!" Neville grinned, but then he paced on the stairs outside, showing his agitation. "Sorry – I can't natter for long. Something's happened!" And he then told both Hagrid and Hermione about the meteorite that he and his centaur family and friends had seen.

"Right! Better 'ave a look. Your folk are right not tur go upsettin' the giant spiders, Neville. They've been bad tempered, 'ately. Lack of food with all this December frost. Come alon', Fang!" Hagrid slipped into his hut again, to put on his coat, before grabbing a lantern and a spade.

"Me an' Fang will check it out – an' report back. Yeh comin', Hermione?"

The thought of walking into the territory of the giant spiders in the Forbidden Forest, even during the day, definitely did _not _appeal to Hermione. Let alone seeing the creepy-crawlies at night. Gulping, she checked her watch. "I'd better get back to the castle, and get ready for the party tonight," she explained, grateful that she had a valid excuse.

"Oh, aye. Tha'." Hagrid remembered. "Fancy dress ain't my thing. Wha' theme wossit tha' Professor Slughorn decided on, again?"

"Well, the Professor helped as relief in Muggle Studies, when the usual teacher was ill, earlier this year. And that started him researching more into Muggle culture – amongst other things, to take an interest in…"

"Yes…?" Neville prompted her.

"Comic book heroes… We're dressing up as Marvel and DC super heroes," Hermione told Hagrid and Neville.

"Oh, I get what you mean! Who are you dressing up as, Hermione?" Neville's face brightened in interest.

"Well… Ron wanted me to dress up as Wonder Woman. Then I saw what the character looked like, in the graphic novels. And in that TV series…"

"Ahh… I take it yeh _not_ Wonder Woman tonight?" Hagrid observed, smirking.

Hermione gave a small, silent shake of her head. "Her costume is…not my style." She waved to the others, as she broke into a run. "I'd better go! See you later!"

"Enjoy yeh party!" Hagrid bellowed back, as he – along with Fang – set out on their journey into the Forbidden Forest.

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

From out of nowhere, the sudden roar filled the Common Room within Ravenclaw Tower. A whirring, mechanical-like sound blended into the noise – as did the appearance of a flashing light on top of a materialising, rectangular blue structure that looked big enough to snuggly fit in three or four people.

Seconds later, the noise and flashing had stopped. An old-fashioned police call box now stood against a mural-draped wall of the light, airy, domed room.

One of the doors opened, and a tall man stepped out – locking the door to behind him. He was a brown-haired individual who looked as though he was aged in his late-thirties, and he wore a long brown jacket over a two-piece blue pin-striped suit. Draped over his white shirt was a neatly-tied, pale green tie (a change from his usual choice these days). His footwear was in contrast to his smart appearance – consisting of a pair of white trainers, instead of polished shoes.

The newcomer wore an expression of interest as he took in the high ceiling and furniture of the deserted, unlit room. There was a trace of light present, admitted by a wide window to one side, which was currently covered by drapes which did not quite reach the edges.

"Seems to be evening… I wonder where you've landed, Doctor…," the man muttered to himself as he pulled out a metal device, similar in size and shape to a slimline pocket torch. He pressed a button, and a blue light was emitted. Panning it round, the Doctor picked out the statue of a woman bearing a circlet on her fair head. The marble edify was set in a niche, next to a doorway. He softly read to himself the small writing that he had spotted on the circlet.

" 'Wit without measure is man's greatest treasure'. Oh, that's good!" The Doctor smiled and explored further with his lit search, discovering the tables, bookcases, stone-cold fireplace, eagle-adorned tapestries, and more. The door besides the statue led to a pair of ascending staircases.

Staying in the domed chamber for now, the visitor twisted a part of his device – the sonic screwdriver. Immediately, the object gave a faint whine, which was swamped by static. The Doctor frowned, and turned round slowly on the spot, in a full circle. The pitch of the static remained constant.

"Oh, no, no, NO!" Come on – I want to trace that signal I've been following. Why am I getting interference! ? There's no electrical equipment here. Not even electrical lighting, come…to…think…of…it."

Puzzled by that observation, and scowling at his sonic screwdriver as he checked the tiny display on it, the Doctor shrugged and walked over to the blue and bronze silks curtains, to pull them apart.

He gave a low whistle of amazement. The unobstructed windows did indeed show that the early evening had fallen. More so, the first stars that were not covered by cloud were visible above a vast, castle-like complex of stone towers and buildings, as well as connecting wooden walkways dotted here and there. To the right, a dark lake – reflecting the last rays of the setting sun – lay at the cliff base of what seemed to be the largest structure. A main hall, perhaps. The lower level of it was certainly illuminated.

"A castle! Great! I love castles, me. And in the early twenty-first century, too. Must be a private residence of some type, to be in such good nick…"

But what got the Doctor excited most of all was a flash of light to his left. He looked beyond the castle structures, just in time to glimpse a glowing speck disappear into a vast, twilight-shrouded forest.

"Ah-hah! Thank you, TARDIS! You've allowed me to jump to the right moment in time, old girl! Now, then – I want to go down, not up. If I try this door that's opposite the marble lady… Right… A corridor, and some stairs in the near-distance, I fancy. Good. Just keep that sonic light on, until you reach somewhere that's lit up, Doctor – and you _won't_ fall down any stairs. Hopefully."

Babbling away to himself, the Doctor left the Ravenclaw Common Room. The door swung to behind him, leaving the place in darkness once more.

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

"Well, what do you think to my outfit, Harry?" asked Ron Weasley, as he stood still in the lounge.

He and Harry were, for the evening, back together in the set of rooms they had shared together during their first year as trainee teachers and Aurors. In more recent times, Harry co-inhabited the suite with Luna (nee Lovegood) – his beloved wife of one year – whilst the rooms Hermione had back then to herself were now the humble abode of both Hermione and her new husband, Ron.

Harry popped his head out of the bedroom he was using for his costume change. His eyes took in the red spandex suit Ron was wearing, from the boots – which blended in with the tucked-in crimson-coloured trousers – to the helmet, with the two little wings adorning it above Ron's ears. A stick-on spandex mask, with eye hollows, covered the upper part of his friend's face.

"Wow! Great stuff, Ron!" Harry smiled, gave a thumbs up, and disappeared back into the bedroom. Seconds later, his head popped back out from around the doorway. "Erm… Who are you supposed to be, again?"

"The Flash! The fastest man on earth," Ron huffed. "In the DC Comic Universe, anyway."

"Ahh… Luna and I were researching the Marvel Comics for our costumes," said Harry, explaining his ignorance. "And Hermione was going to be…"

Ron's face brightened. "I hinted to her that she would look great as Wonder Woman. She seemed a bit dubious about it, though. What about Luna?"

Harry's voice carried from within the bedroom as he resumed changing. "She…, um, managed to wheedle from me my costume choice for tonight. The next weekday, she nipped off to the nearest Muggle town, to look up Marvel Comic book heroes, using an internet café. She wanted to dress as a character compatible with mine, she later told me. But she's keeping it a secret from me." Harry fell silent for a moment. "Right… Here's my new persona, Ron."

Harry Potter walked out of the bedroom. Ron's eyes widened behind his mask as he saw a red-and-blue spandex costume. The scarlet parts were inlaid with black lines in the manner of a spider's web. Ron felt slightly unnerved, seeing the emblem of a black spider on Harry's chest. His friend's head was entirely covered by a mask – the only facial feature being two white eyes.

"Holy…! Harry – you're Spider-Man!"

"Sure am." Harry's voice was slightly muffled.

"Hold on… Can you see and hear with that mask on? Can you even _breathe_?"

Harry patted Ron's shoulder amicably. "I cast some charms on the suit, to make sure I could do all of that!"

Ron looked admirably at Harry's costume. "Crikey…! And can you…, you know…, shoot out webbing?"

Harry gave a laugh. "No. Didn't think I would need that at the party! I've got my wand up my sleeve, though."

"Yeah, me too. Right, Harry. If we're set, let's fetch our ladies and accompany them to the ball, so to speak."

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

Ron and Hermione's set of residential rooms were set at the other end of the upper-level corridor. Ron made sure his outfit didn't show any creases, then he knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Hermione's voice came from within.

"Just a couple of would-be dashing heroes." Ron smirked at Harry, who grinned back.

"Oh good! One moment!"

The door was opened, to reveal a young woman clad in a black rubber outfit, with a dark cape hanging down to her waist. She wore an utility belt and a rubber mask that covered the back and sides of her head, but which still allowed the tawny-coloured hair underneath to reach her neck and shoulders. Two points rose straight up on the headpiece above the ears, ending in three-inch long rubber extensions. Like Ron, Hermione also bore a spandex mask around her eyes – hers being as black as the rest of her costume.

Ron was speechless for a long moment. Then he exclaimed, "You're not Wonder Woman!"

"Ron – please! After seeing what costume you had in mind for me? I'm not wearing that to a party! This is much better, don't you think? Ron…? Harry…?"

"That looks good to me, Hermione," Harry answered honestly – and tactfully. "Um… And you are…" Again, he cursed his limited knowledge on superheroes. He and Luna had only time to research some of the Marvel characters…

"Batwoman!" Ron snapped his fingers.

"Batgirl, actually." Hermione smiled. "I improvised somewhat – mixing designs of Batman and Batgirl. Do you like it, Ron?"

Ron was running his fingers along the black rubber on his wife's arm and shoulder. He suddenly seemed to come to from his silent appraisal as his eyes dropped to her thighs. "What…? Oh, yeah! I do, actually. Like it. No – I _love_ it!"

"And is Mrs Potter also ready for inspection, Hermione?" Harry interrupted.

"Well. Let's see…" A grinning Hermione arched her head and called out to her friend in the next room. "Luna! There's a strange-looking man wearing a mask, out here – who wants to take you downstairs!"

"Oh! One moment, Hermione. I just need to charm my hair," a dreamy-sounding, Irish-accented voice replied. There was a flash of light from within the lounge, glimpsed by the young men at the door. Then Luna appeared at the doorway, her lips parted in a coy smile.

"Hullo, Spidey," she greeted Harry.

_Oh, my…_

Harry's heart did a flip-flop. Like his other two friends, Luna had attached a spandex mask to her face, which fitted around her wide, silver-grey eyes. The rest of her costume, however, was (and Harry stroked it to confirm the fact) made of black, velvety faux-fur material, which ended in white fur-lined gloves and boots. As with Hermione, Luna had an utility belt around her slim waist. And there was an erotic element in the spiked collar adorning the young witch's neck.

The finishing touch was her hair. Luna's usual dirty-blonde locks, which reached down to the middle of her back these days, were now a sheer white colour.

_Easy, boy… Take deep, calming breaths – like you do when it's a full moon night, _Harry told himself. Swallowing, he pulled off his Spider-Man mask, so that he definitely had more air to breathe. He was also conscious of a sudden tightness around his groin…

"Harry? Are you all right?" Luna gazed at her silent husband, in concern.

This time Ron and Hermione both grinned. "I think you have definitely chosen the right costume, Luna," Hermione explained.

"Well, I found this character who Spider-Man fought against. She starts off as a cat burglar – then she later becomes Spider-Man's ally in fighting crime…," Luna responded. "And the outfit did look rather fetching, and rather…"

"…slinky," Ron muttered, underneath his breath. He ignored Hermione's raised eyebrow.

"I _definitely_ approve of your choice, Luna," Harry coughed, finding his voice again. He put his mask back over his head, then held out his hand. "May I have the pleasure of escorting you to the party, Miss Black Cat?"

"Certainly, Mr Spider-Man." Luna happily put her small hand in his.

"Well then, Batgirl…"

Hermione took Ron's offered hand, and then the two costumed couples headed to the Great Hall for the evening's festivities.

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

In the Great Hall, most of the other guests had already arrived. The Patil sisters were dressed identically as Elektra, and Clifford Chagoja was fashioned for the event as the film version of the black vampire hunter Blade. As Harry and his closest friends approached them, Clifford respectfully took off his dark glasses – and he and the twins engaged them in conversation, as Harry, Luna, Ron, and Hermione were offered a choice of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks by the waiters, who were simply dressed in black tuxedos, instead of comic-book characters.

To one side of the hall, a quartet of musicians was playing soft, instrumental music.

Suspended halfway up the walls of the Great Hall, were numerous small orange balls which glowed faintly with a gentle warmth. They bobbed slightly in the air, but otherwise remained stationary, out of anyone's reach.

As with every Christmas that Harry could remember at Hogwarts, a huge Christmas tree was set in one corner of the hall, decked with countless baubles, old-fashioned looking decorations, and streamers. And, of course, the silver star on top.

"Don't stare for too long, or you will be trapped, Harry…," Hermione muttered.

"Uh?" Harry turned and saw the faint smile on his pack-sister's lips.

"The baubles. Originally called _witch-balls_. Muggles put them around their houses, to trap the spirits of any witches passing by. The shiny surfaces apparently drew them in, you see…," Hermione explained happily.

"Ahh… Thanks for rescuing me, then, Hermione!" he smiled.

As Clifford and the Patil sisters moved on to mingle with other staff and guests, the host of the Staff and Ex-Pupil Party himself approached Harry's quartet.

"Ah-hah! There you are, my young friends! So who do we have here, hmm?" Horace Slughorn had actually shaved off his walrus moustache for the event. He was immaculately dressed in a white jacket and dark trousers – with well-polished black shoes. A surprised Harry saw that the purple-coloured tie Slughorn had on, was inlaid with a gleaming diamond.

"Hello, Professor Slughorn." Ron brightened up. "You've got us started on this super-hero business – so would you like to guess at our costumes?"

"Well then, Ron. Let's see… Unless I am much mistaken, you are the Flash, and the delightful Mrs Weasley seems to be one of the aides of Batman. Meanwhile, Mrs Potter looks quite the fetching feline – the Black Cat, that is – and this must be Harry under Spider-Man's mask!" Slughorn laughed jovially, and patted Harry's shoulder.

Harry pulled up his mask to reveal his face. "Spot on, Professor! You do know your stuff!"

"So, who are you tonight, Professor?" Hermione asked him. "You don't look like any of the heroes I looked up."

"Ah, well… Given my figure, and my baldness, I decided to be a certain villain, instead, Hermione."

Ron clicked his fingers, in realisation. "The Kingpin! One of Spider-Man's enemies. Watch out, Harry!"

"Indeed." Professor Slughorn deepened his voice, and playfully shook a clenched fist at Harry. "The time has come to squash you, insect!" He laughed, slapped the young man's shoulder, and then walked off to greet more arrivals as he took a sip from his glass of wine.

Harry gave an amused shake of his head. Then, still holding his mask in one hand, he spotted someone he hadn't spoken to for some time. "Hold on… There's Oliver Wood! Not seen him since the end of the war!"

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Luna all headed over to the plain-suited Oliver. As the crowd of staff members and their partners and friends parted for them, Ron and Hermione paused. They could now see that Oliver was speaking to Lavender Brown, who was donned in a pink and red silk-based outfit, her blonde-brown hair dyed red. Harry realised that she was (appropriately enough) the Scarlet Witch for the evening. She, in turn, spotted Harry's party. Wincing in annoyance, she made her excuses and turned to mingle with Ernie Macmillan, who – dressed as Green Arrow - was in conversion with Professors Pomona Sprout and Remus Lupin.

"Oh hi, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Luna…" Oliver Wood grabbed another glass of punch from a passing waiter, before turning his full attention to the quartet. "How are you all doin'?"

"We are all well, thank you!" Hermione spoke first, smiling. "How is the outside world treating you?"

"Not so good, I'm afraid. The job market for wizards and witches is shrinking. Lost my last job when the outreach 'Quidditch For Muggles' sporting venture I was involved with failed to take off. So I've come to see about the currently-open position for a relief caretaker here." Wood sipped his drink. "So, Harry… I understand you're now Professor Moody's understudy for the Defence Against the Dark Arts post? Congratulations! And the delightful Mrs Potter here… You're now a school counsellor. How's that going?"

"Oh, it is very interesting! Some of the pupils come up with unusual problems." Luna smiled. "But most of the time, I can help them."

"Good to hear. And you two, Ron and Hermione, are still assistant Quidditch teacher and assistant librarian…?"

Both Ron and Hermione confirmed this, and told Oliver that they were enjoying those jobs, despite the challenges they sometimes faced.

"Things still okay on… Well, y'know – the werewolf front…? What with all four of you, and the others in your pack…"

"Yeah. It's been four years now, since us lot became werewolves…," Ron answered for them. "…and we've not attacked an innocent person, yet. Not even on a full moon!"

"Changing still hurts a bit, every time. But we're happy with our lot," Harry nodded, slipping his arm around a beaming Luna, to emphasise his words.

"We still keep guard over Hogwarts, with Professor Lupin and our pack during full-moon nights," Hermione elaborated. "We're a family. We look after each other. Also, us four are an inner circle within the werewolf pack."

"Oh, really?"

Harry smiled. "That's right. We call ourselves The New Marauders – after the group of four that Professor Lupin, my dad, and my godfather were part of."

Oliver Wood smiled back – then he glanced across at Lavender, who had turned her back on their group. "So… What's the story with Miss Brown? I heard about her and you being together at one stage, Ron…"

"We broke up. And she's never really wanted me or Hermione to have anything to do with her, ever since the two of us got married. Despite the fact she's been working here, looking after the accounts and correspondence since the Ministry declared her Imperious Curse-free, after the end of the Death Eater war." Ron looked uncomfortable talking about Lavender – but he shrugged.

"Oh, okay. And when I came for my interview, earlier today, I noticed that the pupils have all gone home…"

"Yes. The plumbing is being overhauled, after recent problems. I suspect baby Grindelows have got into the system from the Black Lake," Luna announced, in her usual dreamy manner. "Either them, or it's Timmytuckles."

Oliver looked perplexed. "Ahh, what are…Tummytickles?"

Ron smirked at Hermione. "Priceless – if you strike at the right moment at bedtime…"

Behind her facemask, Harry thought Hermione's cheeks had reddened. She quickly looked down, hiding her look of abashment.

"Timmytuckles… They're a type of gremlin. Water dwellers. Apparently," Harry helpfully supplied to Oliver. He was getting used to Luna's ever-expending list of officially-they-don't-exist-but-maybe-they-do creatures.

"Anyway…" Hermione cleared her throat and spoke a little loudly. "…all of the pupils were sent home, yesterday – it being the last Friday before Christmas. But us staff members have got some portable magical heaters, so that this party could remain on schedule. Professor Flitwick has told us he is expecting Ministry workmen to come in to see to the plumbing and heating over the weekend – starting tomorrow."

Oliver nodded. "Ah, those wee orange balls up the walls here… And I saw them in the Headmaster's office, where I was interviewed. They'll be the temporary heating…"

"That's right," Ron confirmed. "How did your interview go, Oliver?"

"I don't like those things." He pulled a sour face. "Get me in front of a Quidditch crowd, and I've nae problem. But being interviewed by Professor Flitwick, Professor Sprout, and Mr Filch… Uggh! I did okay, I guess. Not that many other candidates, I gather. I'll hear after Christmas." He took another swig of his drink. "I'd better mingle a wee more. See you around, lads and lasses!" He slipped into the gathering of the other staff and their guests.

As Oliver Wood left, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Luna looked around the crowd again.

"Got some current pupils here, I see." Hermione nodded in the direction of a teenage couple who were engaged in conversation, close by. "They're both seventh-formers now. Lorna Broomhead and Edgar Mower. Dressed as Emma Frost of the X-Men, and Aquaman."

Harry looked across. The blond-haired boy wore an orange-and-green costume – whilst the girl was wearing an all-white costume consisting of a short top, cloak, trousers, boots and gloves. "Oh, yes. I recognise them," he announced. "They're both Slytherins. Lorna's quite a bright pupil – but instead of sitting with her usual female friend in Defence Against the Dark Arts, she's been hooking up with Edgar in class, this academic year. They seem to be quite keen on each other!"

"Oh, Harry! We'll have to save Lorna from Edgar," Luna declared.

"Er… We do? Why…?"

"Well, think about it, Harry. Does she really want to marry Edgar, and become Mrs Lorna Mower?" Luna gave the others a ghost of a smile.

Ron snorted halfway through a swig of his drink. He coughed, and gradually regained his composure. Harry and Hermione shook their heads, but were unable to avoid smiling themselves. Then all four of them went over to join Professor Lupin - the current Magical Minister for Werewolves - who was now available.

"Hullo, Professor. That's an interesting costume you have on," observed Luna, as she tilted her head slightly to one side.

Remus Lupin was wearing a black, western-style hat, and a dark cape jacket and trousers, along with a white cotton shirt. A band was wrapped around his head, complete with eye holes.

"Ah-ha! Greetings, seniors, senoras!" Lupin's eyes twinkled at them from underneath his band, as he stroked the end of his brown moustache. "How are you all, this fine night?"

Harry laughed. "We're feeling good, thanks, Moony. Glad it's the end of term, though. How about you? Where's Tonks? Or Dora, as I should call her…"

"I'm alright, Harry. Teddy's got a cold, though. Dora's at home, watching over him. She's sorry she couldn't come – and passes her regards to you all."

"Oh, I hope little Teddy soon recovers," Hermione spoke for the four of them. "Is parenthood still going okay for you two?"

Lupin made an expression that was a cross between a smile and a grimace.

"Okay… We get the idea." Ron nodded sympathetically.

"Don't get me wrong – Dora and I are fine. We just get a bit worn out by Teddy – especially when he wakes us up at night with his crying. As you know, being just a few months old, he hasn't turned wolf yet – but being his father's son, I'm sure he will. It just depends on when his half-werewolf genes get activated by the moon." Lupin gave a sigh. "A cub werewolf to add to the pack… Still, I imagine you youngsters will want to get in on the act, and provide Teddy with playmates… Oh – ignore me! That's your decision to make, not mine…"

"Er, well…" Harry felt himself blushing, as Luna gave him a wide, puppy-eyed look.

Lupin, seeing the interchange, spared Harry by quickly changing the subject. "I, er, gather that Minerva and Alistor are on honeymoon?" he asked.

"Oh, yes. They went on a package tour for wizards and witches!" Hermione gushed. "A special cruise boat touring the Mediterranean, I believe. And Poppy Pomfrey has tagged along, at Professor McGonagall's request – to give her a well-earned break, too."

"Really? Then that young man – Shapiro – who I spoke to earlier…"

"…he's Pomfrey's relief nurse on duty here over Christmas," Harry confirmed. "Oh, and they took Professor Trelawney along, too. To prove to her that she _can_ survive being away from Hogwarts. I just feel sorry for Mad Eye having her tagging along!"

"By the way, who are you tonight, Professor?" Ron asked.

"Ahh… I am Zorro!" Lupin pushed his long cloak to one side and tapped the rapier in its scabbard, which in turn was tied to his belt. "I fight for justice, in my beloved Mexico!"

Ron's eyes widened in surprise. "Nice sword… Except that the party theme is Marvel and DC comic heroes, Professor. Zorro's not of that line…"

"No? Oh drat!" Lupin slapped his forehead. "I did rather leave my choice of costume to the last minute, thanks to my Ministry commitments…"

"It's a nice costume anyway, Professor," Luna opinioned in her soft voice. "Just watch out for others, if you draw out that sword!"

"Oh, I shouldn't need to play with it much tonight, Luna…," their pack leader replied lightly. He trailed off, as he saw something which caught his attention, at the opposite end of the long room. "What the…?"

Intrigued, Harry turned round, just as he was sipping some of his drink. He gave a start, and nearly choked.

Concerned, Luna patted Harry's back. "Harry…?"

"That guy…!" he coughed. Alerted, Ron and Hermione looked over, to see what the cause of concern was.

A tall man, with brown, somewhat-gelled, hair – and aged in his late thirties (or so he looked) – had entered the Great Hall. He was now in animated conversation with Professor Slughorn. The newcomer was wearing a long brown coat over a blue suit, and white, mud-splattered trainers. There were traces of mud and earth elsewhere on the man's clothes.

Harry put down his drink, and nodded curtly at the others. Not quite understanding his concern, but getting the gist, Ron, Hermione, Luna, and Professor Lupin, all copied Harry's actions as he drew out his wand and carefully made his way through the partygoers…

"…you don't have an invite to this party, me boy! ? How did you get into the school, then?" Slughorn's rather-indignant tone reached the sensitive ears of the five approaching, human-skinned werewolves.

"That's not important! What _is_ important is that you have an alien vessel – an escape pod, I believe – in that forest out there, and I want to know what's in it! And I tried to get to the site – only to be chased out of the forest by centaurs! You _do_ know about those centaurs, I presume…? They caused me to slip up… Sorry about my muddy shoes, by the way. I didn't see a mat on the way in." The man in the blue suit and brown jacket rambled on, oblivious to Harry and his approaching party.

"Of course I know about the centaurs! I'm a member of staff of this fine school. But what is this about an…, an alien vessel? That sounds ridiculous! WHO are you?"

Quick as a flash, Harry pushed past the last, protesting witch standing in his way, and he rammed the tip of his wand against the strange man's throat. His four companions sprang out together and levelled their wands at the target also, surrounding him. The party came to an abrupt halt, the musicians in the background stopping in mid-stroke on their stringed instruments as Harry's voice rang out accusingly.

"_You're Barty Crouch Junior! !"_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two:**

**Accusations And Arachnids**

"_What! ?"_

The party crasher held up his hands. His brown eyes were wide with incomprehension.

Hermione gasped. "The man who impersonated…?"

"Yeah. That's him…," Harry confirmed.

"The one who put your name into the Goblet of Fire for the Tri-Wizard Tournament!" Ron bristled. He looked keen to fire some hexes, Harry thought, as he glanced across at his friend. "Right…"

"I'm sorry. What are you talking about? Have I got a doppelganger?" The man sighed. "Not another one…"

Luna frowned and lowered her wand. "Are you sure, Harry? Didn't you tell me that Death Eater had been kissed by a Dementor, and so…?"

"…and so was confined to a secure unit at St Mungo's Hospital?" Lupin narrowed his eyes. "That was what I understood. He should still be there. He was in a vegetative state – brain dead."

"Well, as you can see, I'm NOT brain dead! And…, and… Wait a moment… Death Eater! ? What kind of a man eats death! ? And what's so bad about a kiss from a Dementor, anyway?" the man in the jacket and suit exclaimed, still apparently all at sea. "I presume it's something rather worse than one from a kiss-o-gram? Not that I have dealings with kiss-o-grams… Not yet, anyway."

Harry took in a brief, sweeping look at the hall around him. The party was at a standstill – with everyone watching the unfolding scene in concern and bewilderment. The current Headmaster, Professor Filius Flitwick, took off the skullcap that was part of his costume as the villainous Gremlin, and he calmly walked over to the wand bearers.

"Who have we here, hmm? Barty Crouch Junior, you say, Harry?" Flitwick whipped out his spectacles from his pocket and slipped them on. He stroked his short white beard with one thumb as he appraised the new arrival.

"Whoever he is, I'm not him! I'm the Doctor. How do you do?" The man calling himself the Doctor crouched down to extend his hand to the diminutive, half-goblin Headmaster.

Flitwick took a look at the offered hand, but did not shake it.

"I'm sure it's him, Professor! He just talks differently," Harry retorted, his face set like a mask even without his Spider-Man cowl on. He frowned a little - then added. "And somewhat faster."

"Hmm… Let's all go into my office, and allow the party to resume, shall we?" Flitwick suggested.

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

About ten minutes or so later, Professor Flitwick sat on a high chair in the office that used to be Professor Dumbledore's. He turned his astute gaze upon his audience – Harry, Luna, Ron, Hermione, Professor Lupin, and 'the Doctor'. Apart from the stranger, everyone else was still wearing their costumes – though Harry still had his Spider-Man mask tucked into a pocket of his lower garment.

"Now then… Has anyone checked this man's forearm for the Dark Mark?" Flitwick asked the others.

"Not yet," Harry admitted. He turned to the man who was responsible for causing him so much misery during his fourth school year at Hogwarts. "Take your coat off, and roll up your shirt sleeves," he snapped.

"Oh… All right!" the prisoner meekly replied.

Harry's eyebrows bobbed up and down as he grabbed hold of the exposed forearms and turned them over. There was no snake tattoo anywhere.

"No Dark Mark on him," observed Lupin.

"Then he's found a way to hide or remove it," Harry retorted.

"Maybe…," Lupin rubbed his chin – half-lost in thought. "Ron and Hermione – empty out all the pockets from that coat you're holding."

"Er…," their unwilling guest tried to interject.

"Oh, come on – this won't take long," Hermione rebuked him. "You can't be worse than Hagrid and his pockets."

About ten or so minutes later, the bemused audience watched as an exasperated Ron and Hermione finally declared the coat to be empty. Apart from some items which were indescribable, cluttering the side desk used for the display were some gloves, a yo-yo, two half-eaten chocolate bars, a bag of jelly babies, a set of marbles, a theatre ticket invite to a show called 'The Revenge Of Arcturus!' showing on Peladon (wherever that was, Harry mused), a miniature squeezy bottle of vinegar, and a sachet of salt.

"Just been for some fish and chips, had you, mate?" Ron smiled.

"Ah no…," the Doctor spoke up. "The vinegar is in case I meet the Slytheen again – and the salt does wonders against Fendahleen. NOT expecting to meet the Fendahleen, mind you – but just in case I accidently end up in the wrong time and place…" He took in the baffled expressions of his captives. "Never mind," he added.

"Why do you need vinegar with you, if you're meeting up with your friends from Slytherin?" Harry frowned.

"_Slytheen_ – not Slytherin," the Doctor corrected him. "And the Slytheen aren't my friends… But you won't know them, anyway…"

"He _is _worse than Hagrid and his pockets…," Hermione muttered darkly.

"What is this?" Lupin picked up the last item that had been placed on the table, a slender silver-looking instrument almost as long as his hand. He pressed a button, and the device gave a soft whine, as a blue beam was emitted from the end. Startled, Lupin released the button – and the object fell silent again.

"Oi! Leave that alone!" the prisoner protested.

"What a strange wand!" Luna remarked in curiosity. "What is it made of?"

"Metal," the Doctor answered. "But of a type not found on this world, so there's no point in me naming which… Anyway, it's _not_ a wand! ! It's a sonic screwdriver. It's a tool!"

"Such as for getting past locked doors?" Harry suggested, somewhat tartly.

"Er, yes… That's right."

"So… If you are _not_ Barty Crouch Junior, who are you – and why are you at this private specialist school?" Professor Flitwick clasped his hands together. Despite his somewhat-squeaky voice, he still gave an air of authority as he watched their unusual guest with steely eyes over the rims of his spectacles.

"Ah-ha! Here's where I put my credentials." The Doctor pulled out a wallet from a pocket set into his trousers, and showed the Psychic Paper to the others.

Ron took a peep. "Oh. So you've come to see to the boiler work, then?"

"What are you wittering on about, Ron?" Hermione spoke up, as she edged in. "It says here that he's the library inspector from the Ministry! Funny time to do an inspection, if you ask me… You're not even due until January!"

"Hold on…" Harry snatched the wallet - then narrowed his eyes. He tried to view the paper without his glasses – then passed it to Professor Lupin. "What do you make of it, Remus?" he asked.

Lupin took off his Zorro mask, and studied the paper from several different angles. "I see blurred writing. _Very _blurred."

"Same with me. What about you, Luna? You're the most perceptive of us." Harry nodded for Lupin to pass the wallet onto Luna.

Mrs Potter held the wallet at arms length – then close to her beguiling, silver-grey eyes. "Oh! My…, that's interesting," she vaguely remarked.

"What? What do you see, Luna?" Hermione spoke up, her interest perking up.

Luna placed the wallet on the table, to join the other bits and bobs from the Doctor's jacket pockets. "Nothing. It's just a blank piece of paper," she calmly replied.

The Doctor's hearts sank. There _always_ had to be somebody who was really clever…, he mused to himself.

"Alright. Alright!" He threw his hands up, as six pairs of bewildered eyes turned on him. "It's psychic paper! Your own minds are meant to project on the white space who or what you expect me to be. Except that it had no effect on you – Luna, isn't it? And it only worked a partial impression on you two gentlemen…"

"That's because Professor Lupin and I are both trained in Defence Against the Dark Arts." Harry gave the Doctor a grim smile, as he kept his wand trained on him. "Our minds can resist your tricks, Barty Crouch Junior."

"I'm not any 'Crouch Junior'! I don't know who he is! Come to think of it, what school is this, anyway? I've never heard of 'Defence Against the Dark Arts' lessons before…"

"This is the Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft," Professor Flitwick announced proudly.

"Hogwarts…? Wizardry and Witchcraft… Right… Well – that's something _different!_" the suited man declared. "Anyway, I'm the Doctor! I'm a traveller – and I've come here because _something_ has crashed in your forest out there! It's a small spacecraft – an escape pod, I reckon. But I don't yet know which species made it – and I want to investigate, in case anything coming out of it is dangerous…"

Ron gave a snorting laugh. The prisoner turned to him, and raised his eyebrows meaningfully.

"Yes?"

"A spacecraft? Here? You're funny, mate. Weird – but funny!"

The Doctor gave Ron a scrutinising look. "Hold on… I come to a school that teaches witches and wizards… I get chased out of the forest by centaurs – _centaurs!_ Now I'm being interrogated by Spider-Man, Batgirl, Zorro, and other spandex-clad individuals… And you think _I'm _weird! ?"

Silence fell after the Doctor's outburst. Harry still regarded the strange man with suspicion, but he could see doubt in the eyes of the others.

"Harry," Luna began. "There _is_ an easy way to resolve this gentleman's identity. If you look in your quarters…"

"Oh. Right…," Harry responded, remembering the Marauders Map. The others nodded in understanding – they all knew about the map's abilities to pinpoint and identify anything that was on the school premises. Barty Crouch Junior had also been in procession of the map at one stage, when he had last been at Hogwarts. But the man calling himself the Doctor was looking at them with a puzzled expression. Again.

"Professor Flitwick, I just need a few minutes…"

"To fetch a certain map. Yes – please do so, Harry." Flitwick bobbed his head.

When Harry returned to the Headmaster's study, his friends and the stranger all saw the baffled look on his face.

"Harry…? What's wrong?" asked Luna.

He answered by laying out the activated Marauders Map on Flitwick's desk. The others gathered round and spied the labeled names that were positioned next to each pair of footprints in the marked study on the brown parchment. Present were Harry, Luna, Ron, Hermione, Professor Flitwick, Professor Lupin, and another name that read…

"Oi!" The Doctor covered up his name label on the map. "My real name is private! Everybody knows me as 'The Doctor'. Anyway - now that you've got proof I'm not this Crouching man who looks like me, are you going to do something about that spacecraft I've been warning you about? Whilst we're at it – who are you lot, anyway?"

"Um…" Harry looked to Lupin. "Remus…? Would the map tell us if he'd somehow changed his name…? Magically, I mean?"

Remus sighed, and shrugged his shoulders. "I'd better pop over to St Mungo's and check if they are still holding Crouch Junior or not. Best to see him, with my own eyes. Just to be absolutely sure. I'll try to be back as soon as possible. Incidentally, that reminds me. Alex Greenway told me to pass his regards to you all, Harry, Luna, Ron, Hermione… He couldn't attend tonight's party, due to working overtime at the Ministry."

Harry nodded. It had been some weeks since they had seen their other pack-brother, with Alex working in Lupin's section at the Ministry of Magic. "Send him our regards, in return when you see him next, Remus."

"Will do. I'd better get going to the Ministry, right now."

"A sound idea, Professor Lupin." Flitwick nodded. "We'll try to save some food for you, downstairs."

Lupin said goodbye to the group, and left the study. As he parted, however, he allowed in two new arrivals. Managing to squeeze through the doorway, Neville and Charlotte Longbottom greeted Harry, Luna, Ron, and Hermione – then they turned to the Headmaster. They all took in the anxious expressions on the young centaurs – and the werewolves could see, and smell, the sweat on Neville and Charlotte. They had hurried here.

"Professor Flitwick!" Charlotte began excitedly. "Something odd has crashed in the forest…!"

"I alerted Hagrid," Neville added, recovering his breath. "And he went out to investigate… We couldn't go, because it fell within the territory of the giant spiders… And now… Hagrid and Fang have gone missing!"

"Missing?" Harry repeated. "When was the last time you saw him, Neville?"

" 'Bout an hour ago, Harry…" Suddenly, Neville took notice of the stranger with them. "Hold on! That's the man Magorian and Ronan chased out of the forest. Who is he?"

Harry took a deep breath. "He's the spitting image…"

"Hello! I'm the Doctor. How do you do, Mr Centaur? And Miss Centaur… Sorry, _Mrs_ Centaur! I see your wedding ring." The Doctor shook the limp hands of the surprised couple. "How did you get up here, anyhow? I haven't seen a lift."

"The stairs are a nightmare – especially when we're halfway up a flight, and they shift ninety degrees," Charlotte admitted with a rueful smile, as she wiped the condensation off her spectacles, using the corner of her tunic. "Anyway, I'm Charlotte. Charlotte Longbottom. And this is my sweet husband, Neville."

"_Longbottom_…? Right… Appropriate name for a centaur, I suppose. Hold on! The stairs…_move_?" The Doctor raised one of his long eyebrows.

"Look! If Hagrid has gone missing, and there _is_ some…spacecraft…involved, hadn't we better search for him?" Harry snapped. He turned to his friends. "Sorry… Go back to the party if you want, but I want to know what's going on."

Luna gently took his hand in hers. "I will come with you, Harry."

Harry gave a tiny smile. Sometimes, all Luna had to do was touch him, to help him feel calmer. "Ron, Hermione… How about yourselves?" he asked.

"Er… I'm intrigued, Harry. But I was looking forward to this party, and I was, um…" Ron trailed off.

"…getting peckish?" Behind her spandex mask, Hermione knowingly arched an eyebrow of her own.

"Well, yes! And I've no desire to make friends with the forest spiders, 'Mione. Between me and them, it's a case of 'If at first you don't succeed – run, run away!' "

"Well, I'd better be with you at the party, then – and make sure our friends have something to eat, upon their return! Meanwhile, take care out there, all of you! We hope Hagrid's okay… And that you'll find him soon," Hermione stated.

With Ron wishing them luck, he and Hermione left the study and headed back to the Christmas party.

"Now…," Flitwick clapped his hands together, and hopped off his chair. "We should look for Hagrid, _and _investigate this mysterious object you speak of, Doctor."

"That's good. May I come, Headmaster?" the Doctor asked politely.

"I was going to ask you to do so," confirmed Flitwick. "Harry, Luna, Neville, Charlotte – escort our unexpected guest to the courtyard outside the main school entrance, if you please. I am aware of the need to safeguard ourselves against the giant spiders – so I'll pop back into the party to ask our Charms teacher, Professor Faraday, to come along."

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

About twenty minutes later, Harry and the rest of the group were on their way, heading into the Forbidden Forest.

The Herbology teacher, Professor Pomona Sprout, had volunteered to accompany the Arabic Professor Faraday, when the Headmaster had asked him to join the group. Harry suspected that Sprout and Faraday were an item now – though they never displayed it in the company of others. They certainly were good friends, and had been since Harry, Ron, and Hermione first came back to Hogwarts as trainee members of staff, themselves.

Neville and Charlotte had offered to act as mounts – and so helped to carry Professors Flitwick and Sprout – whilst Professor Faraday, Harry, Luna, and the Doctor kept up with the trotting centaurs. The Doctor had been given his coat and belongings back – with the exception of his 'sonic screwdriver', which was now in Faroukh Faraday's possession.

As Faraday walked alongside the prisoner, Harry and Luna brought up the rear. They were listening to the conversation between the two men. The Doctor had been asking questions about how long Hogwarts had been running, and what subjects they taught. He was listening to Faraday's courteous explanations with interest.

"Why's he pretending not to know anything about this place! ?" Harry hissed to Luna. "I'm sure it's Crouch Junior! He's been here before…"

"I really don't think he has, Harry," Luna whispered back in her soft, dreamy voice. "Both Professor Flitwick and I have been watching the reactions of 'the Doctor' to everything. Right from when we all headed for the Headmaster's study. He is genuinely surprised by what he is experiencing! Perhaps he has lost his memory? But the name on the map – it wasn't anything like I had previously seen…"

Harry shrugged and let the matter rest. His worried thoughts turned to Hagrid, as he wondered what had happened to the groundsman of Hogwarts.

Some minutes later, Neville and Charlotte stopped.

"This is roughly where the meteorite – or whatever it was – came down," Neville announced quietly. He shifted nervously on his four legs.

Luna walked up to him, and gently brushed a reassuring hand along his foreleg. "How's Epona, Neville? Is she being looked after by Susan and Firenze?"

He smiled and nodded – grateful for the change of topic. "Oh – yes, she is. And Epona's fine - thanks. She was excited at seeing this 'meteorite'."

Harry couldn't blame Neville for his anxiety. The ground in this part of the forest was marshy - a lingering legacy the Death Eaters left behind when they magically-altered the estate during their occupation of Hogwarts. In a couple of nearby spots, there was a risk of becoming stuck in the soft ground – especially if you were heavier than the average human. Crossing some of the boggier stretches here would be a real nightmare to a centaur, especially since night had fallen and the only illumination came from the wand tips of the magic users present, including Neville and Charlotte.

A thick mist was also now present in the area, enhancing the surreal affect of their near-silent surroundings. The forest felt ghost-like, cold and unwelcoming.

Near-silent…, Harry noted. When nobody in their group was speaking, he thought he could detect, with his keen werewolf hearing, occasional scuttling noises in the tangled arrangement of trees, hidden in the darkness beyond the extent of their _lumos_ wand lights.

"The spiders are close – I can hear them." Luna gave a shudder and clung to Harry. Although he had kept his Spider-Man mask tucked away in his pocket – both he and Luna were still wearing the rest of their costumes. Harry rubbed his chin against the felt fabric of Luna's Black Cat outfit – the brush of the material felt good, like fur. Memories of wonderful nights spent in the safer parts of the Forbidden Forest with Luna sprung to mind, making him smile. Nights that they spent, as wolves, and as wolf-people…

He straightened up, tensing somewhat, as he took in the sight of Neville's and Charlotte's slightly-pointed ears. They were twitching – taking in the movements of the unseen arachnids, close by.

"We'll be all right, Lu," Harry reassured her, giving Luna a hug and keeping her warm. "Neville and Charlotte are still wand users – and they're ready and armed, like the rest of us. As soon as we find Hagrid – and that guy, whoever he is, finds what he's come for – we can get out of here."

"Thanks, Harry," Luna gave a tiny smile and gently nuzzled her face against his cheek, allowing the worried wolf inside of her to express her affection. Along with Harry, she drew out her wand.

"Now then, everybody – keep your wands at the ready! Let us move forward," Professor Flitwick instructed the group. "Doctor – can you tell us where you need to go?"

"Well, as soon as my sonic screwdriver is handed back to me, yes…"

"Here you go." Professor Faraday handed over the instrument.

The Doctor checked the settings on his odd, wand-like device. It then gave a low whine, which became louder as he panned the surroundings with it in a three-hundred and sixty degree arc, lighting up the gnarled trunks of the trees with a blue beam. He stopped, facing a direction that led to a track. It twisted away from the clearing they were in, running behind a gnarled tree – and sloped downwards towards some thicker foliage, and also a bog.

"This way. Mind your feet…and hooves," the Doctor advised them as he walked along the descending path. Bracken lined one side of the track, and on the other, laid a pool of dark water.

With the others close behind him, the Doctor suddenly stopped and crouched down, fingering something on the ground. Professor Flitwick, Harry, and Luna drew up closer – whilst the centaurs, and Professors Faraday and Sprout kept watch.

"Fragments…," the Doctor almost whispered. He switched off the sonic screwdriver, sparing the sensitive hearing of Harry, Luna, Neville, and Charlotte. Then he picked up a couple of pieces of the debris and stuffed them into one of his coat pockets.

"Look – there's Fang!" Luna pointed ahead. On the path before them, just visible in the mist and the darkness, was the emerging shape of Hagrid's boarhound companion. He made an odd noise, fell silent, and then growled. His head swung to regard the search party, who kept their lit wands trained on him as they drew closer.

"Look's like something's spooked him," Harry observed. He held up a hand and crouched down. "It's okay, boy. It's only us – and a stranger…"

The Doctor slowly advanced, holding out his own hand to placate the agitated canine. "Here, boy! Who's a good doggie, then? Yes, yes – you are…" He smiled reassuringly as Fang slowly advanced. But the dog snarled as the Doctor stroked him.

"Whoa… What's the problem, then? Where's your master?" the Doctor asked Fang, as he drew his hand back.

The hound paused - then cocked his ears.

Harry and Luna could hear them again, too. And - glancing at Neville and Charlotte as they shuffled their hooves and positions, so that they were covering each other's rears - Harry could see the centaurs tensing. Raising their wands, ready to shoot down any spider that decided to scuttle out of the mist and attack the search party.

Professor Sprout joined the Doctor. She scratched behind Fang's ears. Again, he growled upon being touched.

"Fang! Calm down! It's not safe here. All we want to do is find Hagrid – then get you both indoors, where it's warm!" Sprout kept her tone of voice firm, but reassuring. "Now – lead us to your master… That's it! Good boy!"

Fang gingerly walked along the path next to the bog, and stopped outside a thicket of bushes just off from the trail on its dry side. Following the hound, Professor Sprout, Harry, Luna, and the Doctor then scouted the new vicinity – the first three using the lit ends of their wands to penetrate the blackness within. Harry gave a sigh of relief as they discovered Hagrid, slumped on the ground, in a gap between the thick growths.

"Hagrid!" Harry rushed over to the half-giant, and gently slapped his face. "Hagrid – wake up! Are you all right?"

The groundsman made an unintelligible sound with his mouth. His eyes opened, took in Harry and the others, and lingered on the Doctor.

"Wh…? Where…us…am? Where…are we?" Hagrid slurred.

"He's concussed," Sprout snapped to the others – then she faced Hagrid. "You're in the Forbidden Forest, Hagrid. We'll get you to the Hospital Wing!"

"Hagrid?" Harry shook his shoulder. "Can you tell us what happened to you?"

But his friend did not answer. He seemed dazed, unfocussed, as he stared first at Harry, then down at himself. He flexed his hands. Then moved his left arm. The other arm remained folded against his side and abdomen – the right hand resting on his chest.

Slowly, Hagrid allowed Professors Sprout and Faraday to lift him up as best they could.

The Doctor stepped forward, addressing the Herbology teacher. "Would you prefer that I…?"

"No, thank you. I'm stronger than I look! And Faroukh's even stronger." Sprout smiled. She and Faraday then carried Hagrid towards Neville, who was verbally offering to carry the half-giant back to the school.

"Okay, then… How about I escort you, Fang?" the Doctor returned his attention to the boarhound, and crouched down to address him.

But Fang took a couple of steps back, growling. Suddenly, he stopped, and looked around. He snarled, baring his teeth. Harry had never seen him look so vicious before.

"Harry!" Luna whispered to him. "The spiders…"

"…are moving this wa-"

Harry was cut off by Charlotte's yell. There was an explosion of sound and motion, as the giant arachnids scuttled out of the misty gloom of the surrounding trees, on scampering, fast-moving legs – their jaws continuously opening and closing. They were coming from two opposing sides – avoiding the bog in-between…

"Keep them back!" Flitwick yelled above the scurrying crackle of insectoid limbs. "Only kill if you have to!"

Harry, Luna, Neville, and Charlotte got to work – casting stunning, _Impedimenta_, and _Confundo_ spells at the rapidly-moving raiders. Harry resisted the urge to throw in a fire-conjuring spell – but followed Luna's lead in casting the Jelly-Legs Jinx. That resulted in a couple of struck spiders, about to jump upon the party, collapsing instead into a pile of twitching, hairy legs – which their brethren, immediately behind them on the path, then promptly fell on top of.

Harry and Luna managed to exchange a mischievous smile, upon seeing their handiwork pay off. Then they ran to keep up with the others. Professors Sprout and Faraday forced Hagrid along, as the half-giant began to regain the use of his legs. Stopping for a moment to recover his breath – Faraday, along with Flitwick, fired off charms at the agitated spiders, which seemed hell-bent on taking down the search party.

In the midst of this, the Doctor had momentarily froze – watching the whizzing streams of magic flash by him, with wide-eyed amazement. Then, ignoring Fang's snarling, he grabbed the dog by his collar and forced him to follow, as he headed as fast as he could in the circumstances, over to the centaurs – where the others were gathering. Seeing his master being carried away, however, Fang's resistance vanished – and he ran alongside the visitor, eager to stay close to Hagrid.

Once everyone was gathered next to the centaurs, Hagrid was being pulled onto Neville's back by Professors Sprout and Faraday - whilst Charlotte urged the half-goblin Headmaster to climb onto her.

Everyone turned, to see the next wave of the spiders scuttling towards them as alarming speed, cutting off all possible escape routes. Their mandibles opened and closed menacingly.

"We're surrounded!" Sprout exclaimed, gasping for breath. "We can't…hold them all back…"

"Kill…them…," Hagrid muttered. Harry saw that his friend had opened his black beady eyes, as he straightened himself up on the equine part of Neville's back.

Professor Flitwick took in the faces of the wizards and witches with him, seeing their exhaustion. Harry and Luna, having fired the most spells, were panting. The Headmaster, too, was now feeling the strain.

"Mr and Mrs Potter. Perhaps you should…?"

"…change, Professor? Okay…" Harry was about to hand over his wand to the Headmaster, when the Doctor stopped fiddling with his strange device which he had pulled out again in the last minute. The 'sonic screwdriver', he had called it.

"Cover your ears, centaurs – this might be painful," the Doctor warned the Longbottoms. Then he pressed a button and swept the screwdriver around him, aiming it at the spiders, as he ran around the search party.

Harry heard a shrill vibration that stabbed at his brain. Crying out, he fell onto his knees next to Luna, who was similarly affected. But besides the yells of his beloved, as well as Neville and Charlotte, Harry managed to make out the background shriek of the giant spiders. They swiftly retreated.

"Right – let's go, whilst they're recovering," the Doctor called out. Then he saw the effect on the Potters. "Er… That should _not_ have affected you two. Sorry!" He helped a groggy Harry to his feet – then moved over to Luna. Wincing, and with his head throbbing, Harry angrily broke the Doctor's grip on Luna – then pulled her up himself.

"Oooh!" Luna rubbed her head - then glanced at the Doctor. "That wand of yours… I have a headache, now."

"Sorry…. And it's NOT a wand!" the Doctor protested. He glanced over at Neville and Charlotte, who were now lowering their hands from their sensitive ears – then he took in the rest of the party, who had heard no more than a loud hum.

"An effective trick, Doctor!" Flitwick nodded his thanks. "Now let's get straight back to the castle."

"What about Hagrid's wand?" Harry spoke up. "Hermione told me she was teaching him the fetching spell today. Did anyone see his wand?"

"I saw no sign of it," replied Professor Sprout. "We can check Hagrid's pockets later. In the Hospital Wing."

"Yes – we should get going now," Professor Faraday looked around him again, watching the mist warily. "The spiders will not pursue us, once we're out of their territory."

Flitwick nodded and gently patted Charlotte's equine shoulder. "Please lead on, Mrs Longbottom."

"Right, Headmaster." Charlotte breathed in the damp air, tensing herself - then she broke out into a trot that turned, seconds later, into a run through the forest. Neville – carrying Hagrid - followed on, his hooves splashing the cold water of the nearest bog, before he reached the higher ground of the last clearing.

Harry, Luna, Fang, the Doctor, and Professors Faraday and Sprout ran to keep up with the others – the wizards and witches firing the occasion spell to keep the first of the recovering spiders at bay, as the party made their departure…

None of the escapees saw the shape floating amongst the reeds in another bog, close to where Hagrid had been found…


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three:**

**Mystery At Hogwarts**

About half an hour after Harry and the rest of the rescue party had escaped from the Forbidden Forest, Deputy Nurse Shapiro was running his wand over Hagrid, who as the only patient present, was lying on his back upon one of the beds in the school's Hospital Wing. Professor Faraday and Professor Sprout, who had carried the half-giant into the wing, had tried – on Shapiro's advice - to unbutton Hagrid's clothing. Only for the groundsman to swat their fingers away with his left hand.

"Leave us…," he snarled, his eyes seemly glazed and apparently not aware of whom he was addressing.

"We need you to undress, Hagrid! So that I can examine you for injuries." The tall, curly-haired Shapiro loomed over his patient. "Do you understand?"

"Understand…," Hagrid slurred, in repetition. But he did not move at all.

At the foot of the bed, Harry looked worried. Next to him were Luna and the Doctor. Neville - who had acted as mount for Hagrid, right up to the entrance of the Hospital Wing – had now, at Harry's urging, returned with Charlotte to the centaur habitat within the Forbidden Forest. Without Hagrid to help keep them in order, both Harry and Neville were concerned that the spiders just might cause trouble for their centaur neighbours in the forest.

"Mmm… Let's look at your head instead, for injuries and concussion." With Sprout's help, Shapiro lifted and examined Hagrid's head. The tip of his wand lit up the cranium and thick, bushy hair. "No – no injuries there," the nurse concluded.

"What happened, Hagrid?" Harry stepped forward, hating the sense of not knowing why his friend was so disorientated. "Did you find whatever crashed in the forest?"

"Crashed…?" Hagrid slowly moved his face to take in Harry, who – like Luna - was still dressed in his Marvel costume. "Yes…, crashed." He paused - then added. "Cannot remember what happened…"

"His right arm still seems stiff, Nurse Shapiro," Faraday pointed out. "It was hard for me and Pomona to move him out from the undergrowth where we found him."

Shapiro headed over to the other side of the bed, and ran his illuminated wand-tip over Hagrid's right arm and chest. "I'm picking up some strange vibrations here with my wand," he declared. Wearing surgical gloves, he felt around the area.

Again, a fit of anger fell upon the groundsman. His left hand swatted Shapiro's hands away from his examination.

"Leave…that…alone!" he roared, ignoring the nurse's protestation. Moments later, he blinked and slowly looked around the room. He seemed to study the faces of everyone watching him.

"Where's…the dog?" he snapped gruffly.

"Professor Flitwick has taken him to the kitchens, to see that he got something to eat." Harry smiled a little. "It's all right, Hagrid! Fang wasn't injured. He helped us find you."

"Fang. Yes…" Hagrid narrowed his eyes. "Need…rest."

Silence fell in the room. Shapiro broke it.

"Well… Looks like Hagrid can't tell us anything just yet. I think he ought to be left alone for now. And I need to run some tests on him, once I've made some notes and prepared my equipment. So, if you'll all please leave…"

"If it's all right with you, I would like to examine the patient. I am a Doctor, after all," the Doctor declared. He pulled out his sonic screwdriver.

Harry quickly grabbed the Doctor's wrist, stopping him. "No! I'm not letting you do anything with Hagrid, until I'm certain you're not a threat to anyone here! And I don't like your 'screwdriver'."

The Doctor froze, and raised his eyebrows at the young bespectacled wizard who was restraining him. "Yes… It hurt your ears, didn't it? And those of the lovely lady here." He nodded at the watchful Luna. "I'm sorry about that. That frequency shouldn't have caused any distress to a human being…"

"Well, my headache's gone now. And you see, Harry and I are not entirely human…," Luna offered serenely.

"Is that why your wedding ring is hooked up to the collar of your costume…?" the Doctor gently asked.

"Why, yes. It's so I don't lose it when I tran-"

"Luna! Don't tell him," Harry instructed her.

"Oh. Alright, Harry."

There was then a sudden _'pop!'_ and the female House Elf named Winky – still wearing a tea cosy as her garment of choice – appeared on the floor next to the trio. An instant later, another female House Elf appeared. The second arrival was wearing an 'Weird Sisters' T-shirt, and bearing several earrings in each of her long pointed ears. Worryingly, she began to throttle Winky.

"Naughty Winky! Yous been drinking my mead!" she squeaked in a piercing voice.

"Poddy – stop fighting! Right now" Harry ordered the kitchen servant.

Poddy immediately released her kindred House Elf, and muttered. "Yes, Mr Potter, sir. Poddy is sorry for angering you."

Luna smiled and knelt down next to the elves.

"Hullo, Winky. Hullo, Poddy. I hope you House Elves will enjoy the Wild Berry pie, mead, and Skyberry cordial I left earlier in the kitchen for you all," Luna said dreamily.

"Mrs Potter is too kind to us," Winky sniffed. There was, however, the trace of a smile on her brown-coloured lips as she bowed. "Headmaster Flitwick has- _hic _- sent Winky to summon Mr and Mrs Potter and the Doctor. The Headmaster is with Professor Lupin, in the Potions classroom."

Harry frowned. "Why the Potions classroom, Winky?"

"Winky does not know, Mr – _hic _- Potter. She merely passes on the Headmaster's message!"

"We'll be on our way, Winky," Luna reassured her.

"Wait, Winky! Before you go – do you recognise this man?" Harry seized the moment, realising his opportunity.

The little servant gave a startled gasp, as she took in the Doctor for the first time. "Why – Winky sees her old master's son!" She gave a clumsy curtsey.

Harry looked triumphantly at the Doctor. But the man in the blue suit and the long brown jacket just sighed.

"Yes, yes – I get it that I look like this Crouching man. But I'm NOT him!" He bent forward to shake the tiny hand of the surprised House Elf. "How do you do, by the way? Winky and Poddy – you call yourselves? I'm the Doctor."

"All right! That's enough. You can go, Winky," Harry interrupted them.

"Mr Potter is most gracious. As is Mrs Potter for providing the House Elves with her food and – _hic _- drink," Winky squeaked.

"Well, it is nearly Christmas," Luna noted, smiling again. "The servants shouldn't be forgotten; after all they do for Hogwarts all year round."

"Absolutely," Harry agreed, now wishing he had given something to the House Elves himself.

"Except she took _my_ share!" Poddy protested.

Harry sighed. They weren't under his ownership, but as a member of staff he could give them instructions. "Winky – apologise, and make sure that Poddy gets some of that mead!"

"Yes, Mr Potter. I'm so sorry, friend Poddy. Winky will not be so – _hic_ - greedy for the rest of the night." The House Elf suddenly gave another hiccup. "Beg pardon. Winky will now return to her pie – er, _work_ – in the – _hic _– kitchens." And with that, she dissapparated with another loud _'pop'_. Poddy followed an instant later.

The Doctor straightened himself up and looked intently at the Potters. "So Winky and Poddy…are House Elves? Two of the kitchen staff?" he asked.

"That's right." Luna took in the Doctor's expression of puzzlement.

"And they can appear and disappear at will?"

"Apparate, actually."

The Doctor frowned. "Apparate?" he repeated.

"That's another word for teleportation," Harry answered. Then a thought struck him, and he decided to test the stranger. "We can do that too, in the school. We can all apparate over to the Potions classroom, right now, to save us a long walk – if you like."

Harry was expecting Barty Crouch Junior to respond with a statement that would expose him. But the Doctor just looked…delighted.

"Oh, okay! Go on, then. I hope it's more exciting than T-mat! Is there any sensation of travel?"

Luna shook her head. "Harry is teasing you, Doctor. Only House Elves can apparate within Hogwarts."

"Ahh…"

Luna took a moment to check out the dried mud on both her and Harry's costumes. "Tell you what, Harry. Let's get rid of these stains – then grab something to eat from the Great Hall, en route to the Potions classroom. I suppose you are hungry too, Doctor?"

"Er, yes. I could do with a sandwich. Or two," he admitted.

Harry sighed, but smiled and nodded – admiring his wife's thoughtfulness. "Right, Doctor. Just remember – you're staying with us at all times…"

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

Before long, Professors Flitwick and Lupin were with the Doctor in the Potions classroom, examining the debris that he had collected from the apparent site of the meteorite fall. First, Lupin used his wand to help clean the dirty fragments – then the three of them were using a microscope to analyse the composition of the downed object.

Meanwhile, Luna and Harry – still dressed as the Black Cat and Spider-Man (with the face mask remaining in Harry's pocket) – were sat at one of the tables, halfway along the classroom. Harry was slumped forward, elbows on the school desk in front of him, hands clasping his head as he shook it slowly in disbelief.

Luna rubbed her white glove-attired hand across Harry's red-costumed shoulder. "It's alright, Harry. Winky was fooled just as much as you," she reassured him.

Harry glanced up at the Doctor – who was now once more peering down the lens of the microscope – then he turned to his wife. "But I was so _sure_ it was Crouch Junior. And the anger at all the trouble he caused me in my fourth year… It just flared up in me. I…I don't want that part of me to take over, Luna. The part that gets so fixated, so _blinded_ by the people who have it in for me." He smiled sadly. "The part of me that you've done so much to help me suppress."

Luna returned his smile. "I understand, Harry. But as we have just heard, Professor Lupin has flooed back from the Ministry, after seeing for himself the _real_ Barty Crouch Junior – who is still in a padded cell, in the secure unit at St Mungo's."

Harry took a moment to look around the cold Potions classroom, taking in the assortment of bottles, jars, and beakers, on the high shelves and within the corner cabinets. He breathed in to calm himself, remembering the smell of the wood and dust and the acrid scent of the liquids of years ago. He hadn't set foot in the room since the Second Battle of Hogwarts – the night that Ginny… Well, since then, there had been no reason for him to come back into this place – the room where he still held unpleasant memories of double Potions classes with Draco Malfoy and the other Slytherins, and of being taunted by Professor Snape.

Now the ex-Potions teacher was no more. Yet, despite all the anxiety, conflict and resentment Snape had provoked in him, Harry felt sorry that Snape had died – given the circumstances of his last year alive…

Suddenly, Luna leaned forwards and kissed Harry's cheek – startling him out of his sombre thoughts.

"Hey! What was that for?" He glanced across at Mrs Potter's beguiling silver-grey eyes.

"I can read you, you know, my husband," Luna giggled a little. She held his hand, and added seriously, "That was for the boy who had to put up with a teacher who was set on being unfair to James Potter's son and his friends. The boy who had to endure the bullying Draco Malfoy - and serve all those detentions cleaning out Snape's laboratory."

Harry felt a lump in his throat. Then he turned and tightly hugged Luna. His nostrils took in and savoured the scent of her wildflower perfume. It was a perfume he felt suited his wife perfectly – and he liked it. He kissed her softly on the lips - then pulled back.

"If I knew then that having you as my wife would be my reward at the end of that long and difficult road…," he managed to say. "…I would have been stronger whilst undertaking the journey. I could even go back in time, and do it all again. Knowing that there was someone who could understand me, and love me – in spite of all my faults, all of my mistakes."

"You say the sweetest things about me, Harry." Luna beamed.

"Only because they are true, Luna," he responded, his lips lifting into a grin.

"Well… Don't go back into the past just yet. Let's concentrate on the present, shall we? Let's think about the mystery we have now."

"All right…" Harry sighed, closing his eyes momentarily. "So this…Doctor…is not a wizard, after all. But he's definitely no normal Muggle, either. So who, or what, is he?" He looked across again to Luna – and froze, taking in her thoughtful, worried look. "What is it, Lu?"

"I'm not sure, Harry. But something was not right with H-"

"…with Hagrid?" The Doctor called out to them across the classroom.

Harry and Luna looked over to the Doctor, Flitwick, and Lupin, who were still grouped around the microscope on Professor Slughorn's desk. Luna nodded sagely at the Doctor.

"I think we should get back to the Hospital Wing. Or maybe collect the Marauder's Map from where Harry left it in Professor Flitwick's office…"

"Sorry… It was too big for the pockets on this suit," Harry grumbled. "And we didn't stop to fetch our coats, before rushing out to find Hagrid, did we? Anyway… Can somebody _please _fill me in on what exactly is wrong?"

"Well, I'll tell you what I know so far," the Doctor began. "Firstly, I was just passing the asteroid belt of this system in my vehicle, when I picked up a distress signal from the alien vessel that was then on its way to crash-landing in your forest out there. I couldn't identify the message itself – or the species make of the craft. There seemed to be wreckage mixed in with the asteroid belt – so I reckon it was an escape pod which I was following the trail off.

"Anyway, thanks to our collective work here, I can see that the debris indicates that the vessel was crystalline. That narrows it down to a few species – possibly the Skith, or the Krarg. Maybe even the Kastrians…" The Doctor stopped and frowned to himself. "No – not the Kastrians. I defeated the last of their kind… Anyhow, I suspect that the larger chunks of the vessel I was tracking are lying embedded in that boggy mire…"

"Wait… Wait a minute! You travel…in space?" Harry looked incredulous.

"Er, yes… I do. But that's not important right now!" the Doctor protested.

"And what of the occupant – or occupants – of that object you were following, Doctor?" Professor Lupin spoke up.

"I have a theory – but it needs testing." The Doctor looked grim. He looked across to Professor Flitwick. "Now, Headmaster. Can I suggest that that bizarre map I saw earlier is collected by someone – whilst a second person accompanies me back to the Hospital Wing?"

Harry got up from his chair. "I don't mind if you fetch it for me, Professor Flitwick. Whilst the rest of us stick with…the Doctor."

Flitwick stroked his white beard, and then nodded. "Very good, Harry. I'll see you all at the Hospital Wing, as soon as I can." The half-goblin wizard headed out of the room – closely followed by the Doctor, Harry, Luna, and Remus Lupin, as they headed for their respective destinations…

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

Elsewhere, in the comfort of the Great Hall, Professor Slughorn – in his costume as the villainous Kingpin – was addressing the silent audience of the party-goers.

"Right, then! Those of you playing the Murder Game have all checked the playing card you were individually dealt? Yes? Good… Now, the fires along the corridors will be dimmed by my special, wide-ranging deluminator, here. You will have fifteen minutes to hide yourselves – then in the next fifteen minutes after that, the person who has the Ace of Spaces in their game envelope will make their killing. After that, the lighting will be put back on, and you'll have to question those you come across in the corridors. In forty-five minutes from now, you should all report back here – by which time, we will discover who was 'killed', and where. There could be more than one person killed! Everyone being asked about their whereabouts during 'lights out' should tell the truth. Only the murderer can lie! And then… And then whoever correctly identifies the murderer with their Accusation will win my special prize! Only one Accusation per player, of course." Slughorn gripped the lapels of his white jacket, looking pleased with himself. "Any final questions before we start…? Oh…! Naturally… Yes – Mrs Weasley?"

Hermione lowered her hand. "Out of interest… Have you ever hosted this game before, Professor?" she asked.

"Ahh… No." Slughorn took out a handkerchief and quickly wiped the temple of his bald head. "But I have hopes that this will go down a storm. Now – any more questions? No? Splendid! Follow me."

Slughorn led Hermione, Ron, and the other participants into the entrance hallway in-between the Great Hall and the front entrance doors that led to the fountain courtyard. Close by was one of the main staircases, as well as the steps that led down to both the dungeon level and the kitchens.

"Now – my deluminator will affect only the corridor lighting. When you split up, do please split up entirely! After all, that man or lady you're hoping to smooch in the dark could give you the kiss of death! _No _one is allowed to use the spell that reveals the presence of other people nearby. Meanwhile, the murderer - of course - is only allowed to use the _Petrificus Totalus_ spell. That way, the murder victim can't give any clues away to anyone else!" Slughorn let out a chortling laugh. Then he activated the black-coloured device in his hand – and all the flames from the braziers and torch-lit chandeliers were extinguished, one by one. Some of the younger, more nervous, girls in the party shrieked at the onset of the descending darkness.

"_Lumos!"_

Slughorn's wand tip lit up, revealing a nervous sea of teenage and young adult faces clustered in the hallway. Hermione was reminded of a ghost walk and spooky story session she had attended with her parents the Halloween before she had started at Hogwarts.

"Great… Now's the time to discover that after all we've been through, the human in me is _still _afraid of the dark," Ron muttered. He glanced at his scowling wife next to him – then added, "Just a little."

Hermione snorted. "Are you a man or a wolf, Ron?"

"Both. You know that!"

"Then try focusing on your inner wolf, Mr Weasley. _He _can't be afraid of the dark…, surely? Personally, I'm rather looking forward to this. I just hope I'm not going to be killed…" Hermione's hand flew to her lips. "Sorry… I shouldn't have said that! _Aaaggghhh!_" She slapped her forehead. "Now you know I _don't_ have the Ace of Spades card!"

Slughorn interrupted them, as he checked his watch.

"Right! Your time to hide…starts…_now_!"

And with a chorus of loud murmuring, the party-going pupils, ex-pupils, and staff members began hurrying away in various directions – with Ron and Hermione amongst them…

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

Nurse Shapiro was in the side office normally used by Poppy Pomfrey. Sat at his desk, writing notes, and occasionally pausing to consult a couple of open magical, medical reference books next to him, the Deputy Nurse glanced briefly through the office window at Hagrid, who lay unmoving on top of his hospital bed, still dressed and apparently sleeping. Then Shapiro dipped his quill in the ink pot and re-read his notes on Hagrid's perplexing condition.

Consequently, he failed to notice Hagrid's eyes flick open. Or see the half-giant stiffly swing his legs to one side as he slowly rose from the bed.

In fact, the first thing that alerted the male nurse was the green glow suddenly filling the office.

Shapiro halted writing in mid-sentence – then dropped his quill, and turned round to face his patient. Hagrid was framed in the doorway, outlined by the unearthly light…

"Hagrid…! ? What's going on? Why…?"

The face of the groundsman was impassive at first. But then his lips widened into a strange grin…

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

Just outside the Hospital Wing, Professor Sprout gave a little shudder, as the lit braziers along the walls were extinguished, one-by-one.

"Wha-?"

"Professor Slughorn's doing, Pomona. That Murder Game he's running. It must be just starting," Professor Faraday explained. He put down the plate of sandwiches and party pieces he had just brought back from the food table in the Great Hall, and rubbed the Herbology teacher's shoulder with his hand, to reassure her. Then he cast the _lumos_ spell with his wand, to help their eyes adjust. At the bottom of the door next to them, there was still the light from the Hospital Wing, unaffected by Slughorn's deluminator.

"Are you sure you don't wish to return to the Great Hall, Pomona?" Faraday asked her. "With the younger ones playing at Murder, it will be quieter there, now!"

Sprout still looked troubled. "I should stay here, Faroukh. I'm worried about Hagrid. I don't understand why he seems so dazed, and…guarded…about us examining him."

"Don't worry so much. Hagrid's tough. He'll be back to normal in no t-"

Professor Faraday broke off, as a piercing scream rang out from the Hospital Wing.

Shocked, the two teachers looked wide-eyed at each other – before they flung open the door and ran inside.

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

The Doctor, Harry, Luna, and Remus Lupin were approaching the Hospital Wing on the third floor - when the wall-bracketed braziers were snuffed out in turn. They suddenly halted. Harry gave a muffled yell as someone walked into him from behind.

"Sorry, Harry…!" Luna meekly apologised.

"Oi!" the Doctor exclaimed, sounding indignant. "Who turned the lights out! ?"

"Ahh… It must be time for the Murder Game, scheduled for tonight's programme." Lupin explained. "One moment… Harry? Luna? Wands!"

"_Lumos!"_

The tips of three wands lit up simultaneously, bathing the foursome's faces in light.

"Professor Slughorn's special deluminator has just put out the flames, Doctor," Lupin filled him in. "Anyway – let's press on. The Hospital Ward is not far. Just turn right at the junction in the near-distance, and… What is it…?"

In the wand light, the two wizards and the witch could see the Doctor rubbing his brow. The man then angrily slapped himself on the forehead.

"Oh - I am getting forgetful in my _very_ old age…! This blackout brings back a particular bad memory. Sorry – I've just realised! I forgot about a certain alien species… One of those who _would_ have an escape pod made of crystal materials!"

"You…forgot?" Harry echoed.

"Yes! I have probably encountered as many alien species as the number of people you've met!" the Doctor snapped. "I can't think of them all at once…"

"_Aaaaaggggghhhhh! !"_

Everybody in the little group jumped, in fright. The Doctor was the first to gather his wits.

"Oh no…! Come on – we must hurry!"

He ran off, running with his long legs along the cloister-like passageway. Harry, Luna, and Lupin all hurried after him – somehow managing to keep up. They nearly ran into him, seconds later – as a luminous figure drifted up from the stone floor, crackling loudly.

"HA-HAH! Merry Christmas!" The wild-haired ghostly man blew on a party blower, which rolled out towards his victim's nose. The Doctor felt a tickling sensation from the non-corporeal object. Then the joker laughed cruelly at the frightened expression on the Doctor's face.

"Peeves!" Harry scolded the ghost. "Get out of our way – before we walk through you!"

The prankster stuck out his tongue at Harry. "Ya-boo to you. Potty! Not even the saviour of the wizarding world can touch me!"

"_Aaaaaggggghhhhh! !"_

Another scream, of the living-person kind, rang out – followed seconds later by a third voice. Startled, Peeves' eyes went wide, as he twisted round in mid-air.

"Yikes!" he exclaimed. Peeves zipped along the corridor in fright – just missing the Doctor, who was pulled out of the way by Professor Lupin.

"It's not pleasant to feel a ghost go through you, Doctor," Lupin explained himself. "That was our resident poltergeist, by the way."

"Ahh… Right."

"What is so terrifying, for the resulting screams to frighten a ghost?" Luna shuddered. She gripped Harry's arm for comfort.

"Good point… And those screams – they were Professor Sprout's and Faraday's," Harry replied, finding his voice. "C'mon! The Hospital Wing!"

The quartet broke into another run.

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

When they came to a halt after their joint sprint, the first people Harry's panting group came across were the two Professors. Faraday was lying slumped at the bottom of one wall – whilst Sprout had collapsed in-between two of the beds. Harry, Luna, and Lupin immediately checked them over – and found, to their relief, that both teachers were alive. There were lash-like marks on their wand hands – and the cuffs of their clothing, next to the wounds, were blackened.

The trio of arriving magic-users cast spells to help revitalize Sprout and Faraday. They were rewarded by two groaning voices.

Then Harry got up, and saw to his horror that Hagrid's bed was empty.

Seeing the Doctor slip into the Nurse's office, Harry followed the suited man – then he halted in the doorway, in shock.

"Harry?" Luna called out.

"In here, Luna!" Harry croaked out, not moving his eyes from the sight before him. "Remus – you'd better come here, too!"

Within seconds, Harry's two fellow werewolf pack members joined him. All three stared at the Doctor kneeling down besides the overturned chair and the slumped Nurse Shapiro, who was staring back at them. But his gaze was a rigid, frozen one. His mouth was open in a never-ending silent scream – his expression one of horror, and agony.

The Doctor felt Shapiro's neck for some seconds - then shook his head. "No pulse. I'm afraid it's too late. He's dead." He spoke in a subdued, resigned voice. "Now I know for certain… Of course… The first thing Hagrid said, when we found him, was 'Where _us_ am? Where are _we?_' ! And here in the Hospital Wing, he snapped 'Leave _us_'!Note the plural tense next time, Doctor…! And watch out for anyone else not used to speaking English correctly…"

Lupin sniffed the air, and interrupted the Doctor's muttering. "I smell burnt flesh – in here, as well as out there…"

"Electricity?" Harry pinpointed the scent. "Shapiro and the others were electrocuted? But…how? There's no electrical appliances here! We use gas and magic for lighting and fuel… And where's Hagrid? !"

The Doctor sadly shook his head. "Harry… I'm afraid Hagrid…_wasn't _Hagrid."

"What! ? But-" Harry spluttered.

"I should have realised…" Luna spoke up, sounding disappointed with herself. "We were assuming that Hagrid had concussion, even though Nurse Shapiro found no head wound. "But the Hagrid we brought in did not have his manner of speech."

"It was Hagrid's voice!" Harry countered.

Luna looked directly at her husband with a calm, serious expression. "But not with the finer details of his accent, Harry. The man we brought in, for example, said 'that' at one stage. The real Hagrid misses the second 't'. And the first time he referred to Fang, he simply said 'Where's the dog?' And he urged us to kill the spiders." Luna shook her head. "Not like the Hagrid you know of old, Harry."

"Then… Then where is the _real_ Hagrid? Who did we bring into the school?" Harry turned to angrily face the Doctor.

"Not who – but _what!_" the Doctor retorted. "Your friend must have been attacked – then was duplicated. He must be dead – lying somewhere in that bog…"

"_No! !_ He can't be dead!" Harry raised his wand at the Doctor – his face flushing. "What's _going _on? _What_ attacked Shapiro and the teachers here? You mentioned the Skith. And the Krarg…"

"It's not the Skith. Or the Krarg. It's a Rutan! A shape-shifting alien that electrocutes its victims with its tendrils." The Doctor faced the bewildered faces of Harry, Luna, and Lupin, as he spoke with a steely tone which underlined his grim expression. "And right now, it's somewhere in your fine, sprawling school, lurking in darkened corridors – no doubt seeking its next target. And off to find another disguise to take on. Just as your staff and students are playing a game of Murder with the lights off! From the Rutan's point-of-view, I would say it must be in a killer's idea of heaven!"

_Author's Note:_

_The Doctor exclaiming "Who turned the lights out! ?" is my homage to a line in the two part Doctor Who story: 'Silence In The Library/The Forests Of The Dead'. His 'particular bad memory' is from 'The Horror Of Fang Rock'. And the T-mat reference is from 'The Seeds Of Death'._

_Please review! You are encouraged to play detective in this story! I want to know your speculations, suspicions, what in the story makes you laugh/shudder with fear, etc._


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four:**

**Man Of Science, Man Of Magic**

The Doctor's chilling words sunk into Harry's brain. He felt numbed for a moment – then he snapped back into alertness.

"We need to alert the others, then!" he spoke up. "If we can find, and tell, everyone we find in the corridors…"

"Yes. But what if we come across this…Rutan…in the process? What should we do, Doctor?" Luna's airy voice piped up.

The stranger scratched at his hair, thinking furiously. His eyes widened.

"Sprout and Faraday! Why aren't they dead? How exactly did they fare against that Rutan?" he exclaimed.

The four of them dashed back to check on the two teachers. Firstly, the Doctor warned Lupin to stand clear of the injured witch and wizard, whilst he scanned them thoroughly with his sonic screwdriver.

"Doctor…? What are you doing?" Lupin looked quizzically at him.

The Doctor gave a satisfied nod, and switched his blue beam off. "Just checking," he explained. "They're both human – not our killer Rutan! A Rutan's disguise is tricky to detect – but my close-range readings all make sense."

"Right... You thought this…thing…would try to outsmart us." Harry knelt down next to Professor Sprout. Along with Luna, the Potters managed to revive the Herbology teacher and got her to tell them how she and Faraday survived their encounter with Shapiro's killer.

"After my moment of shock, I called out a warning…to this _creature_… It turned, and slid over the floor towards us." Sprout stopped speaking briefly, to rub her aching head as she sat up against the wall. Then she resumed her narrative.

"Faroukh fired a stunning spell at it… It paused. Seconds later, it lashed out…with a _tendril_. It touched Faroukh's wand – then mine. I was slammed backwards by the shock it gave out… That's the last thing I recall."

"What did it look like?" Luna gently asked her.

"Um… Like a giant, green jellyfish, child… It was awful!"

"I see…" The Doctor rubbed his chin. "Wood doesn't conduct electricity very well. The Rutan must have thought that your wands were part of your hands – and therefore you were both done for, in its opinion."

"And it thought that, because it is unfamiliar with human beings?" Lupin ventured.

The Doctor shook his head. "The Rutan race will have human biology amongst their records of countless species by now. This is far from their first visit to this world." He paused, and then looked intently at his companions. "But I dare say this is the first time a Rutan has fought against a wand-user, maybe?"

Lupin nodded slowly, understanding. "I see… But if a stunning spell can't put it to sleep – then we'll have to use more aggressive spells. Ones designed to kill."

"Or negotiate with it?" Luna suggested. "Perhaps after the crash, the thing is frightened – and is acting out of fear?"

"I like your thinking, young Luna," the Doctor nodded with approval. "But I'm not sure that this Rutan will listen to reason!"

"And _if_ it has killed Hagrid…, I'm not about to forgive it!" Harry retorted. "Anyway – we should raise the alarm across the school, remember?"

"Yes, we should! Harry and Luna – you two get going! Take the Doctor to the Great Hall," Lupin ordered his junior pack mates. "I'll look after Pomona and Faroukh. And I'll spell-lock the door to this ward, for safety!"

"Right. Watch yourself, Moony!" Harry called him by his old nickname, as he affectionately patted Lupin's shoulder – then ran out of the Hospital Wing, with Luna and the Doctor keeping up with him. The wands of the Potters were lit up to help them decide which way to go in the chilly, dark passageways outside.

Harry fought off the cold sweat threatening to break out on him, as he shuddered at the passing shadows flitting from alcove to archway to alcove, whilst their feet pounded on the stone floor with haste.

_Not exactly a stealthy progress, _Harry grumbled silently_. I hope this…Rutan…isn't about to jump on us from out of the dark!_

'_Beep, beep, beep…!'_

"Merlin's beard! What now?" Harry snapped, recovering from the sudden fright. The trio abruptly halted at the sound of the faint noise. The Doctor carefully studied his sonic screwdriver, which was the source of their distraction.

"Sorry – I've just set it to scan for any anomalies which carry a known Rutan signature… And we've just got something." The Doctor swept his device around in different directions. The beeping turned a pitch higher when it was pointed at a forty-five degree angle upwards. "It's a little like the signal that enabled me to track the escape pod. The Rutan's on a higher level…"

"There's a staircase just over here that it must have taken! How fast can this thing move, anyway?" Harry asked pertinently.

"Probably faster in its natural form…" the Doctor muttered. "The one I encountered at Fang Rock was relatively slow. But in this age…? Rutan scouts and warriors have been known to glide over and climb around their surroundings rather quickly, from what I've learnt," he cryptically offered.

"Harry – perhaps we should split up?" Luna suggested. "If you and the Doctor track the Rutan down – I can go on ahead to the Great Hall?"

He turned round to her. "What? Are you sure…? If that…screwdriver…of the Doctor's not accurate…!"

"Of course it's accurate!" the Doctor sounded indignant. "I'm a man of science!"

"I will be all right, Harry. I have my senses to help me – like you do," Luna stepped forward to reassure her husband, as she laid her slim hand on his shoulder.

"Right… Okay! Take care, Luna. We know how to find each other in the school, if we concentrate, after all!"

Harry and Luna hugged, and gave each other a rushed kiss. Seconds later, the white haired, black-clad, young witch was running off again along the ground-floor corridor. Harry briefly watched his wife – her face outlined by the glow from her wand, and surrounded by the darkness. Then the ethereal vision disappeared into the distance, like a ghost. Meanwhile, the two men headed over to the stairway, with Harry leading the Doctor upwards. The wizard took in the startled glances of the people in the animated pictures – then made enquiries.

"Did anything…_alien_…just go this way?"

"It went up there!" a girl in a medieval dress gibbered, pointing straight up with a trembling hand. "It was ungodly, sir. A green demon!"

"Thanks!" Harry responded – then pulled the Doctor onwards, as he paused to regard the paintings with awestruck wonder. Meanwhile, the beeping of the sonic screwdriver was getting steadily stronger as they both climbed to the top of the stairwell.

"We're getting closer…" the Doctor muttered, as he drew level with the young wizard on the landing. They gasped for breath after their exertions.

"That signal you're getting must be strong!" Harry remarked.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because Hogwarts is a school for teaching magic! There's so much residual magic on the premises, that it interferes with electrical apparatus. Or so Hermione once told me," Harry pointed out.

The Doctor halted – and Harry stopped too.

"What now! ?"

The Doctor's face turned pale. His expression was tense – even frightened? Harry was not sure.

"We're not following the Rutan – we're tracing its homing beacon!" the Doctor breathed.

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

"Ur! What was that?"

"Sorry, Hermione… I think I just struck you with my elbow! I've got an itch on that side," came the whispered reply.

"Well…, you can scratch yourself _after_ we get out of here, Ron! This cupboard in the Transfiguration classroom isn't big enough for hiding two people in, even after emptying it!" Hermione huffed. "And it isn't suitable for us together, especially with us being in the pitch dark."

"Yes, it is! And keep your voice down, 'Mione! We don't want the killer to hear us in here, do we?"

"Well, no. But for all I know, the killer could be _you_ – just waiting for the time to strike! It was your idea to hide in this cupboard, not mine. And you have been acting like a right wimp, clinging to me in here!"

"I resent that! I'm not a wimp!" Ron paused to consider his next words. "It's just that, after years of experience – whilst in my human skin – my sense of self-preservation has become very developed lately!"

Hermione rolled her eyes, hoping that Ron couldn't see her exasperation in the dark at such close range. "Just as well I created an air hole in the side of this wardrobe…," she muttered under her breath.

"Ah-hah! Damaging school property again, are you, Mrs Weasley?" Ron gloated. "Professor McGonagall won't be happy with you when she comes back from her honeymoon!"

"Oh, shut up! I will repair the cupboard before she returns…"

"Quiet!" Ron hissed, cutting his wife off. "Footsteps! Coming this way!"

Ron and Hermione already had their wands at the ready, to protect themselves from the game's killer. Hermione's hand was clammy and she was sure she was about to drop her wand. Her heart began to pound in her shaking chest.

_I don't want to be the murder victim! I want a stab at deducing who's the killer!_

Suddenly, the doors to the wardrobe were flung open. The light from a wand-tip shone into Ron and Hermione's eyes.

"_Petrif-"_ Hermione shrieked. Then Ron slapped a hand over her mouth, cutting her off.

"Oh! It's… It's you pair." Lavender Brown scowled at Ron and Hermione. "I'd…better find somewhere else…to hide, then!" She turned round, and then grabbed the hand of Ernie Macmillan, who was standing close by, clad in his Green Arrow outfit and bearing a bow and quiver.

"C'mon, Ern. Let's find somewhere else, before the killer makes a move!"

Ernie had time to give the Weasleys a look of consternation – before he was yanked out of the Transfiguration classroom. Then there was a conversation just outside.

"Er, Abercrombie. Rose. You'll have to find another room. Transfiguration is already taken!" Ernie announced to the younger ex-pupils.

Rose tittered. She was dressed in a white shirt, black tuxedo and top hat, white bow tie, and fishnet tights. From his clear line of sight, Ron recognised her outfit as the magician Zatanna. Euan, next to her, was draped in the iconic red-caped, blue costume of Superman. "Look's like you're taken, too, Ernie!" the witch declared. Then the four of them went off, in their respective pairs.

"Well – who would've thought it?" Ron muttered, as he reached outside to pull the cupboard door to once more. "Ernie told me that things weren't going well with Hannah lately – so he came to the party, alone…"

"…only for Lavender to snap him up, it seems," Hermione concluded.

"Poor Ernie…," Ron said under his breath.

"Ron! Maybe they'll be right for each other!" Hermione retorted. Then she added: "Assuming that Lavender has developed relationship skills beyond kissing, that is."

"Like us, you mean?" And with that, Ron kissed his lovely wife on the cheek. Or rather, he tried to. Being as they were in complete darkness again.

"Ron! That was my ear!"

"Ur… Sorry!"

"Wait – crouch down a bit, Ron."

"Okay… Doing so."

"Good. Now let's do it properly!" And with that, Hermione reached with her free hand to hold Ron's face in position, as she planted a long, loving kiss on his lips.

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

"What! ?" Harry exclaimed, reacting to the Doctor's latest, startling declaration. "How did this Rutan get…a homing beacon…into the school?"

The Doctor scratched his head. Then he clicked his fingers, in realisation. "The Hagrid we found could not use one arm. 'He' held it to his chest, and wouldn't let anyone examine it too closely!"

"Er… That's right – but wh-"

"What if the Rutan was holding the homing beacon from its craft, when it disguised itself as Hagrid? The device, in effect, would have been shrouded," the Doctor suggested to Harry. He turned and continued along the upper floor corridor, following the ever-strengthening signal from the sonic screwdriver. However, once away from the solitary light provided by Harry's wand, the Doctor continued walking onwards, whilst looking back at the unmoving Harry over his shoulder.

"Well – come on, then! Follow m-_Ouch!_ Who put that door there! ?"

Harry sighed. He ran over to him. "It was already in that doorway! Are you all right, '_man of science'_?"

"Oh – I'm fine!" the older man ruefully rubbed the tip of his nose, where he had hit himself whilst colliding with the door in the dark. He checked his bleeping sonic screwdriver. "The beacon's beyond this door. But if the door's still locked – then the Rutan didn't go this way," the Doctor pointed out.

"What about the window?" Harry pointed at a wide, leaded window close by. Feeling a draught in the already cold corridor, he brought his lit wand close to the glass, revealing the broken gap that spanned almost the entire window. A few coloured pieces of glass littered the stone floor underneath.

Taking care where he placed his feet, the Doctor carefully leaned his head through the gap and twisted his face to look up. "Ah-hah! Through the window and up the tower!"

Walking back to the door, he aimed his sonic screwdriver at the lock. "I'll lose the signal briefly, but…"

"_Alohomora!"_ Harry called out, using his suddenly-extinguished wand. The lock 'clicked' and the door opened a fraction. A moment later, the light from his re-lit wand revealed the smug smile on his face.

"Oh! Okay…" The Doctor shrugged, then – nodding at Harry to be ready, in case of an attack – flung the door open.

There was nothing except the spiral staircase leading up to the top of the Astronomy Tower. Leading the way, the Doctor quickly headed onwards – the tails of his long brown jacket, and Harry, following behind him.

At the top, they emerged onto the parapet that circled around the domed roof. The Doctor stopped, and pointed to the black box seemly glued just underneath the tip of the roof. It was flashing lights and emitting a slow, infrequent pulse of sound directed towards the night sky above.

The Doctor switched off his now-noisy toy, sparing Harry's sensitive ears.

"Right. Let's get that thing disabled, so that no more Rutans come h-"

"_Expulso!"_

Harry's wand fired off a flash of light at the homing beacon, which promptly blew up. The fragments flew off in different directions.

The Doctor winced – then removed his hands from the ears they had just shot up to cover. His shoulders slumped back down. "Hey! Try warning me, next time!" he exclaimed.

"Sorry, Doctor. I'm a man of _magic_," Harry responded, unable to suppress a grin. He paused, and become more sombre. "And I should also apologise for thinking you were Barty Crouch Junior. You do look exactly like him."

The Doctor gave a shrug. "Not the first time I've had a hostile reception from someone mistaking me for someone else."

"Barty Crouch Junior must have a lot of enemies around, then," Harry remarked.

"Er, I was thinking of the times I wore a different face, actually…," the Doctor muttered, checking the sonic screwdriver once more.

Harry frowned. "You can change your face? Are you _sure_ you're _not_ a wizard?"

"Shush!" The Doctor held up a hand. "There's something else I'm picking up! But it's _not_ the Rutan!" The sonic screwdriver was beeping softly again. Its owner swept it around three hundred and sixty degrees, with no change in the tone. Frowning, the Doctor pointed it down – then up.

The signal increased as soon as the sonic screwdriver was aimed at the sky directly above.

Both the Doctor and Harry looked sharply at each other - then simultaneously raised their heads, afraid of what they would see.

The dark clouds of the mid-December night had thickened. But the large bank overhead was now being lit up by the approach of a descending aerial craft. The roar of its retro-rockets, just kicking in, mingled with the heavy mechanical hum filling the air.

Once free of the cloud layer, the sphere-like object paused – and then smoothly swept diagonally across, to stop immediately over the spire of the Astronomy Tower. An instant later, four curved support structures, set at equal-distance points on the blue sphere, sprung sideways and outwards, though still connected to the main body. The 'legs', as Harry perceived them, then reached downwards to place a clamp each upon the domed roof of the tower.

"Ahh… The sonic screwdriver picked up the engines of that ship. Good job I was checking for different possible signals…" The Doctor gulped. Suddenly, he forced himself out of his stunned state. "We need to get out of here, Harry!"

"You mean more Rutans _have_ arrived! ?"

"No…" The Doctor shook his head. "The Rutan's enemies have just popped down! They must be hunting it…"

Harry looked puzzled. He was torn between fleeing with the Doctor, who looked ready to dash off – and staying to satisfy his curiosity. "Then… Then that's good news – surely? If they are like police, out to stop… _Hey!_"

The Doctor had grabbed hold of Harry's shoulder, via the fabric of his Spider-Man costume, and pulled him firmly – as a sign to start running after him. The two of them promptly raced back towards the undercover section of the tower's roof, and the door at the far end.

"They're _not_ police!" the Doctor snapped as they weaved between the columns. "If we can lock this door to, behind us…"

There was a flash of light. Two stocky figures, wearing some form of armour, suddenly materialised in front of the two men. They bore huge, rifle-like weapons held at forty-five degrees. Like troopers on guard duty.

The two entities then levelled their weapons at Harry and the Doctor…

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

"Mmmmm." _Smack._

"Hmm-mmmm." _Smack!_

The smooching stopped for a moment, as the pair broke lip-contact.

"Finally, I have a reason to like this room! I didn't think much to Divination classes during my time here. I could hardly understand Professor Trelawney – with her wittering away in lessons," the girl announced, as she pushed her partner onto the pile of cushions behind him and crawled onto him. There was a mischievous glint in her eyes, reflected off the candles they had lit up in the nearby holders, to achieve the right ambience for their private session.

Still on her knees, straddling the young man beneath her, the lady leaned upright and adjusted her lower clothing.

"Well, I thought this place would be as far away from everyone else, as possible – including anyone out to 'kill' us," her date replied. He smirked. "You're beginning to show your knickers, love."

"All the better…to tease you…with," the young woman whispered huskily. She bent down, ready to pull off her partner's costume…

_Wham!_

"Aaaggghhh!"

The girl gave a shrill cry, as the cushion struck the side of her face. She flopped over onto the carpet. "E-!"

"Cushion fight!" The young man grinned. And with that, the two of them erupted into a frenzy of flying cushions, blocked attacks, and hysterical laughter.

Consequently, the frivolous pair did not see the uncanny glow pulsating at one of the classroom's windows.

From its perch upon the windowsill, having carefully made its way across and up the walls of the school, the Rutan watched the lovebirds for a few moments. Then, concentrating its strength into its central body mass, it pulled itself back, before ramming a formed fist-like protrusion into the old panes, breaking them.

The horror dropped upon the rich carpet covering the floor of the dimly-lit classroom. The sudden breeze from the broken window made the candlelight flicker. The shadows in the room shifted violently.

"Wha-?"

The Rutan gauged its bearings, then flowed swiftly towards its victims, who looked up and across at the oncoming monstrosity, alerted by the shattered glass.

The young woman screamed.

Her partner quickly reached for where he'd left his wand on a small table, and aimed. _"Stupefy!"_

The red beam struck the creature. It halted – its green mass flashing from the impact of the spell. Its tendrils twitched angrily.

Then it advanced again, propelled forward by its rear tendrils, as they acted as rudimentary legs. Another pair of tendrils whipped the air as the young couple quickly rolled away, and got up upon their feet. A slim hand snatched the second wand on the table.

This time they both screamed, as they raised their wands to conduct battle…

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

"Halt! Remain still!" one of the arrivals to the Astronomy Tower announced. Its gruff voice was muffled by the thick, semi-spheroid helmet that covered its head. Only two slit-like holes, where the eyes would be, broke the monotony of the headgear. Harry himself could see nothing behind the eye-holes.

"We need to get past them!" the Doctor hissed to Harry. Then he stepped forward and to his left, forcing the pair of troopers to stiffly turn to face him.

_Distracting their attention away from me!_ Harry realised.

"Hello there! You look like you're a long way from home. Are you lost?" The Doctor gave one of his winning smiles, and raised his hands. "The problem is, I'm not terribly sure of my bearings myself, yet!"

"_Reducto!"_ Harry cried out, snapping his wand up and aiming at the newcomers.

"_Urgghh!"_ The blast sent one of the troopers flying backwards into the wall behind it – whilst the other found itself being spun in mid-air, before slamming helmet-first into one of the columns.

"Oh, excellent!" the Doctor exclaimed, pausing only to kick the rifle out of the reach of one fallen trooper. "Now…, _RUN_!"

As soon as Harry got to the doorway that led to the tower's staircase, however, he heard a machine-like whine start up. A dull, but intensely-focussed, yellow light lit up his body from behind, covering even the fingertips of the hand that had been outstretched to open the door.

"Uhh! Wh-?" Harry tried to run, but all of a sudden he felt as though he was wading in treacle. Some force, conveyed by the yellow light, had him trapped within a person-shaped bubble. Grunting with effort, he shifted his sluggish body round slightly. He could now see that the Doctor was also trapped, held captive by a second projected light beam. The two stocky troopers, now slowly getting back up upon their feet, were unaffected. They aimed their rifles at the prisoners.

Three more of the strange figures marched forward from the direction of the…spaceship. Yes, spaceship, Harry told himself. The latest trio of arrivals were clad in the same purple-blue armour suits, gloves, boots, and semi-spherical domed helmets which rested on top of a thick collar which looked like it was made of hard, moulded plastic. In addition, the intruders each had some type of device strapped to their right wrists. The two troopers who made up both flanks of the approaching threesome were each carrying a metallic, lantern-like device – the source of the emitted yellow beams that were holding Harry and the Doctor almost completely rigid.

The pair of captors, as one, stepped aside – to make way for the third helmeted arrival, who was identical to the four other troopers in every visible way, except for two factors, Harry noted. One – the collar on this fifth entity was painted a dull gold colour, instead of grey. Two - the being was about two-three inches shorter than the others.

"Right…" The Doctor spoke with a little more effort than normal, in order to make himself heard. "This will be their commander... Let's hear what he has…to say!"

"Doctor…?" Harry's voice rasped. "What are they…using on us?"

"It's some type of tractor beam! I'm impressed… Must be a new invention of theirs…" The Doctor grimaced and coughed. "Alright! You can switch it off now! Before…(cough) Before we choke from the pressure. We surrender!"

The leader of the troopers stopped before the Doctor and Harry, then raised a gloved hand. At this signal, the soldiers on either side deactivated their tractor beam emitters. The dull yellow lights vanished from the captives. The whine whirred to a silent standstill, and Harry slumped forward slightly, panting for breath now that his lungs no longer felt as though they were in a vice.

"Personal log entry Omakron Ralta Brok-Torq. The effectiveness of the Immobiliser beam upon humans is duly noted," the leader announced into its wrist device, the voice distorted by the helmet. Then it gave the two men its undivided attention. "My troopers have you surrounded. Submit your own weapons!"

Harry sighed and passed his wand over to one of the approaching troopers. "Who the hell are you?" he snapped, as the soldier stepped back.

The Doctor gave him a grim, forlorn look. "Sontarans," he simply announced.

The leader sharply tilted its helmeted head up to face the Doctor, as though in surprise. The motion rather reminded Harry of Luna, when she tilted her head to one side, when listening with interest to someone.

Then the armoured figure made another brief hand signal, This time, it was rather more complex. A couple of seconds later, both the Doctor and Harry gave a grunt of surprise as the troopers behind them shot a phaser bolt each into their backs.

The Doctor's tall, brown-clad frame tottered, and then abruptly collapsed upon the stone floor – his eyes frozen wide with disbelief.

_NO…!_

Harry's vision wavered. He tried to speak again – but couldn't. Falling upon his knees, he held himself upright by pressing one hand against the nearest wall to support himself. With his gradually-failing vision, Harry took in the ominous sight of the Sontaran ship attached to the roof of the Astronomy Tower, lit up by faint blue lights against the background of the cloudy night sky.

The faces of Ron, Hermione, and his beloved Luna flashed through his mind's eye.

Then Harry slipped sideways – coming to rest next to the body of the Doctor, as everything went black.

**END OF EPISODE ONE**

_Author's Note:_

_Please submit detailed reviews! A lot of time, care, and effort went into creating this story – and I am interested in finding out your thoughts on everything in it!_


	5. Chapter 5

**EPISODE TWO**

**Chapter Five:**

**The Face Of The Enemy**

Parvati Patil was getting restless in the dark corridor.

She, her sister Padma, and Clifford Chegoja had slunk away to the prefects' bathroom, on the fifth floor of the main school buildings - when the Murder Game players split up to find hiding places. Then Clifford had pulled out, from his jacket pocket, a sprig of Mistletoe (or 'Kiss-your-toe', as a giggling Padma had started calling it).

Padma and Clifford had been loosely dating since their time as apprentice werewolves, four years ago – when Harry, Ron, and Hermione had led the new werewolf pack as an important spearhead of the Flitwick Freedom Fighters, to liberate Hogwarts at the end of the last Death Eater war. After becoming a free witch again, Parvati's own romantic life had so far failed to be anymore successful than her sister's. And so she tended to stick around with Padma and Clifford – hoping that, one way or another, their social outings would result in Parvati hooking up with a dishy young wizard. One who didn't have an aversion to hanging with friendly werewolves.

Sometimes, when Clifford was a little drunk, the identical Patil sisters would try their old girl-swap trick, so that Parvati would get a little TLC from Clifford, to tide her over.

Tonight, being identically-dressed as Elektra, Parvati had just tried to pull herself off as Padma – only for Clifford to smile and shake his head.

"Your scents are not identical – even if your perfumes are! I'm getting too wise, now. Tell you what, Parvati. Will you be good enough to stand on guard against the Murderer – in case he, or she, comes this way? Thanks!" Clifford then winked at her - before grabbing the hand of the real Padma, and leading the ex-Ravenclaw Patil twin into the large, luxury bathroom. Then the door was closed behind the laughing couple – leaving a rather-peeved Parvati standing outside…

_Great…!_

She leaned her shoulders against the wall nearby and tipped her head back, making a not-so-soft _'thud!'_ on the stonework.

"That mermaid's trying to catch your attention, Clifford!"

"Well – she's not succeeding. Not with you here in front of me! And she's only an animated painting…"

"Ooooh! She heard you. She's gone sulky, now…"

Padma's giggling, and Clifford's laughing remarks, on the other side of the bathroom door, was broken here and there by a series of loud kisses.

_And Dean and Seamus told me that _I_ was the annoying, giggling one in class – along with Lavender!_ _But then, we were all Gryffindors – the boys had less contact with Padma, with her being a Ravenclaw…_

A feminine squeal suddenly rang out from the bathroom. It was followed by more laughter.

_Aaaggghhh! I don't _have_ to listen to them!_

Stomping over to the nearest stairwell at the end of the corridor, Parvati suddenly stopped. With her wand still being the only source of light in her inky-black surroundings, the werewolf-heightened senses of the young witch detected the presence of someone climbing the stairwell. Someone who was moving in the dark, and trying to make as little noise as possible.

"Stop! Who…? Oh, it's you, Lavender." The tension left Parvati's costume-clad body – and she lowered her wand as she stepped back from the top step, allowing Lavender Brown to continue her assent of the stairs. "I thought you had gone off with Ernie," Parvati added.

"Ernie…? Well, he's…close by." Lavender gave her friend a sly look.

Parvati stiffened. Something wasn't quite right. "Where's your wand, Lavender?" she asked.

Lavender's smile grew wider.

Seconds later, there was a flash of light, a brief cry, and the sound of someone falling upon the stone floor.

Nearby, Padma and Clifford carried on with their private coupling in the prefects' bathroom – making too much noise themselves, to be aware of what was going on outside.

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

"Harry... Harry! Please wake up!"

"Urr…?" At first, Harry wanted to ignore the voice. It was so peaceful, being dead. No noise, no pain, and no sensation of anything at all. Until now.

The voice stopped – but Harry felt someone's breath. In the next moment, whoever it was kissed his nose. How odd. Who would do that? A dim memory arose in Harry's slowly-dawning consciousness. There was just one person who had indeed kissed him on the nose in recent years - and that was…

His nostrils widened, taking in the scent that acted as confirmation.

Harry's eyes snapped open - then squinted against the glare of the lights. Slowly, the picture before him became focused. The background noises sharpened into clarity, and scents – both familiar and new – trickled into his re-awakening brain.

Harry realised that the black-suited figure before him was gently holding his hand. A figure who was now smiling with relief.

"Hullo again, Spidey," Luna Potter greeted him with her usual, dreamy-sounding voice.

"Luna…" Harry stirred from his position. He had been laid out on top of a trio of seats placed together, with a blanket to cover him. Slowly turning his head, he saw some of the party goers standing around, looking bewildered and afraid. About half of those present, especially the ones sitting down and resting, had bruises around their heads and faces.

None of them, he realised, had their wands in sight.

Then, with his gaze panning around the Great Hall, Harry took in the tell-tale signs of fighting. Broken drink glasses on the floor, some overturned tables, the unmoving body of one of the waiters sprawled at the base of a heating globe…

Next, Harry sighted the armed Sontaran troopers guarding the exits from the room. All of them were still wearing their helmets – their tiny eye holes giving nothing away.

"What…happened?" he gasped, squeezing Luna's hand in his agitation.

Luna looked sad. "I safely got to the Great Hall, and raised the alarm. But by the time Professor Slughorn realised I was referring to an _actual_ murder, instead of his Murder Game – these rather horrid creatures arrived around the hall, preventing us from reaching any of the game players elsewhere. There was a fight, of course – but stunning spells don't seem to work on them. I'm afraid they killed a couple of the waiters – and bashed Professor Slughorn and some others around the head with their big guns." She paused. "Then a few more of the squat fellows walked in, just as we were deprived of our wands. They were carrying in you and the Doctor. Naturally, I checked to see that you were both alive! I feared you were dead, Harry."

"I thought I _was_ dead!" Harry pulled Luna close to him, and they hugged and eagerly made contact with their dry lips.

"Interesting… What is the name of this…exchange?"

Harry gave a start upon hearing the helmet-muffled voice. The Sontaran commander was intently watching him and Luna.

"What…?"

"It's called 'kissing'! They are a married couple, I believe. Maybe your race should try it. Marriage _and_ kissing, I mean…"

Harry rose and turned to face the source of the Doctor's voice. The odd man was sat in a corner of the hall, long legs perched on top of one of the party tables. Suddenly, he swung his feet back to the floor, then got up from his seat and stretched his limbs. Ducking one of the heat-emitting orange globes set close to the side of the room, the Doctor walked over to Harry, Luna, and the alien leader. En route, he passed the head table, where Harry's eyes fell upon the pile of wands confiscated from the witches and wizards assembled. The Doctor's sonic screwdriver was there, also. All of the items were being guarded over by a pair of impassive, but armed, Sontaran soldiers.

Unfortunately, the Marauders' Map was there too. Right now, it was folded in. Not activated.

However, Harry did note, with relief, that Ron, Hermione, Ernie, Clifford, and the Patil twins were not present. Hopefully, that meant they were all still alive – somewhere in the depths of the school.

"Kissing..," the Sontaran commander echoed the Doctor's declaration. "And does this form part of the ritual associated with human reproduction?"

"Oh! Yes. You really must be strangers to this world!" Luna smiled. "How do you creatures reproduce, then? Whatever you call yourselves…"

"They are called Sontarans. They're from the planet Sontar. And they are a clone race, born and bred in genetic vats in their millions." The Doctor stopped next to Harry, and eyed the shorter-than-normal, gold-collared leader. "Their sole joy is war. And they have been engaged in a millennia-long conflict with the Rutan gestalt."

"The creature at loose in the school, I gather?" Professor Flitwick called out from where he was sat at a nearby table, pressing a tissue to the now-healing cut on his bald pate.

"That's right, Headmaster," Harry answered, glad to see that Flitwick was well, and at hand.

So Flitwick had managed to fetch the Marauder's Map – only for the Sontarans to capture him and confiscate the map.

_If only we can activate it, and help the Sontarans locate and destroy the Rutan – then they'll leave us be!_

_Or will they…?_

Harry suddenly realised that his forearm stung a little. He rolled up the sleeve of his Spider-Man costume, to see the mark left behind by a needle.

"Wh-?"

"The…Sontarans…jabbed all of us, Harry," Luna explained to him. "It must be to check we are not the Rutan they seem to be looking for."

"Correct, young female." The commander turned its helmeted head first towards Luna – then faced the Doctor once more. "When you identified our species, upon the tower, it was clear that you had knowledge of our race. I therefore instructed my troopers to shoot tranquiliser bolts at you and the young male here – before taking your DNA readings." There was a brief pause – then a proud tone seeped into the commander's voice. "So, my company has the honour of capturing the Time Lord known as 'The Doctor'! You were identified, via the databanks onboard our vessel."

"_Weelll_…, yes – that's me!" the Doctor announced – seemly in a jovial manner. Though Harry and Luna noticed that his happy expression did not reach his eyes. "And you are…?"

"I am Commander Skane, of the new Shon-Tarq vanguard squadron."

"And what do you intend to do with all these people here, Skane – now that you know none of them are the Rutan you seek?"

"That is our business! However – it is of interest that my technician, verifying the DNA samples of _you_ three…" The commander jabbed a stubby-gloved finger at Harry, Luna, and Professor Flitwick. "…has identified you all as _not_ being fully-human."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow.

"Er, well…," Harry blustered. "Professor Flitwick is half-goblin. And Luna and I are…"

"…special." Luna gave Skane a serene smile, as she laid her black-gloved hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Well – now that you are getting to know us, how's about we get to know you, Skane?" The Doctor stepped forward. "Not afraid to show yourself to these people, now that you have them prisoner – are you?"

"Afraid? I am a Sontaran officer! We fear nothing!" The commander reached up and twisted its helmet slightly on its axis, before removing it and placing the headgear upon the nearest table.

The watching crowd grimaced at the sight of the alien leader – Harry included.

"Oh, my!" Luna looked startled, rather than repulsed. The Doctor, however, whistled. It was a note of surprise.

The brown-grey coloured, and somewhat-winkled head was larger than a man's - and broader. It was also almost the same round shape as the domed helmet. A pair of reddish-brown, pig-like eyes, sunken into the ugly face, keenly scrutinised the reactions of the captives. The nose was narrow, and the mouth was cruel, without lips. There was no visible sign of a neck.

The overall effect, thought Harry, was something like a humanoid form of a baked potato.

But what had piqued the Doctor's interest was the short stubble of dark hairs on the sides of the wide head.

"I am something new to you, Doctor – am I not?" Skane gave a gloating smile. Without the helmet to muffle the voice, the commander's vocal cords conveyed the tone of…

"A female Sontaran! Yes, I have never met one before," the Doctor exclaimed. "So, I take it with the Sontarans slowly losing the ongoing war against the Rutans, the High Command on Sontar has finally decided to become an equal-opportunities employer…?"

"We are _not_ losing the war! Our forces have strategically re-gathered, and are preparing for the next phase of our glorious conquest of the enemy!" the alien barked.

"That's one way of putting it, I suppose…," the Doctor muttered.

"As for my gender, I have proved my capability in the Sontaran army, and achieved promotion – in the same manner as any male Sontaran!" roared Skane. "There are now many other females in the Sontaran ranks, ready to demonstrate their worth – as well as their duty – to our empire! And my technician – Horrak – is the other female in my company."

"Interesting…" The Doctor flashed a smile at the witches and wizards in the room, in an attempt to reassure them. "Tell me about the Rutan you are hunting down, Skane."

"My cruiser – plus one other – pursued and destroyed a Rutan mothership that had fled a battle between our fleets at the edge of your solar system. One escape pod evaded our space cannons – so we have tracked the Rutan pod, and its occupant, to this inhabitation."

"I see – and the other Sontaran cruiser…?" The Doctor caught the vanishing of Skane's smile. "Right… It was also destroyed in the conflict!"

One of the Sontaran troopers, who was guarding some packages that Harry did not recognise, stepped forward and removed its helmet. This time, the brown-grey head was hairless – and the face bore a prominent vertical scar that ran from above the trooper's right eye to the middle of its cheek.

The voice, when it came, was deeper than Skane's. Masculine. "Our comrades died with honour! And once we have located, and eliminated the last Rutan, our victory in this sector of space will be complete!"

Skane smiled her appreciation. "Your fine spirit is once again noted, Major Varn!"

At this point, Harry raised his hand.

"Yes, youngling?" Skane's intelligent eyes regarded Harry with keen interest.

"Look… We don't want the Rutan here – so you can kill it, so long as you don't harm anyone else! But what I want to know is…if you do eliminate it…what happens then?"

Skane gave a smile that Harry fancied he had seen before, on the faces of American gangsters on TV films. "We will consider if this planet is suitable for our purposes in the war against the Rutans. If it is not, we will depart." Skane gestured to the nearest pair of Sontaran troopers, then pointed the forefinger of her three-digit gloved hand at Harry, Luna, Professor Flitwick, and the Doctor. "Hold these four to one side! I will return shortly. Major Varn, take five of our company and seek out that Rutan! Any humans…" Skane paused "…and other _non-humans_ are to be captured alive and brought back here for species identification. Treat any resistance with due appropriate force." The leader smiled, exposing her small, crooked teeth.

"Yes, Commander." Varn transferred his weapon to his left arm - then pressed his clenched fist against his armoured chest. It was, Harry realised, the Sontaran equivalent of a salute.

Skane started to walk out of the Great Hall. Luna's airy voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Aren't you forgetting your helmet, Miss Sontaran?"

The commander turned round and gave a smug smile. "On the contrary! My helmet will remain here, on that table, as a symbol that this chamber has been secured by the Sontaran Empire. I will collect my helmet, when it is my time to leave!"

And on that note, the Sontaran squadron leader exited the hall. As Skane walked into the large hallway set in-between the Great Hall and the front doors of Hogwarts, she watched Major Varn deploy a pair of troopers, instructing them to cover the lower levels of the castle – beginning with the dungeon levels. Varn then posted another two Sontarans to scout the first floor – whilst he and the remaining soldier covered the ground floor corridors and rooms.

The female commander ended her brisk solitary march as she reached the gushing fountain in the courtyard. Lacking a neck, she then turned her armoured frame around to view the just-visible edge of the Sontaran vessel, still clamped to the highest point of the…school. Yes, the humans had declared that the fortress-like building was a school.

_Such a large building to search… Varn and the troopers will have to take their examinations of the floors, in stages._

Some of her men had already scouted around the perimeter of the buildings – whilst the rest of them had headed for where the infra-red readings had been greatest on the scanners of their cruiser. Although some of the resident humans had fought back with their unusual guns - such as the male oddity who had been with the Doctor upon the highest tower – resistance had soon been crushed, with a couple of deaths amongst the human ranks. Although there had been injuries on both sides, none of her company had been killed.

So far, her company had been effective and efficient. Worthy of her command.

The Rutan must have been watching, to see who would answer the homing beacon, Skane calculated. Possibly, it had remained in hiding, to gauge how many Sontarans were hunting it down. And now it was hiding – waiting for the opportunity to strike back. She would have done just that if she had been in its place.

_But our enemy will have more to face than my troopers alone…_

Skane's mouth twitched into an unpleasant leer. She jabbed her thick forefinger upon a button on her wrist communicator.

"Skane to _The Kelkarsis_," she rasped.

"Technician Horrak reporting, Commander!" came the response.

"Stage Two of our search is now in progress. Set up a Category Sar forcefield around the main building – generated time limit to kor zulls. Field of effect to be activated just beyond the front gates of the establishment. Far end of the bridge from my position."

There was a pause. Then the voice of the female technician replied, "At once, Commander!"

Skane waited. Seconds later, there was a flash of light emanating from the base of the spherical cruiser. Then, heading to the bridge and front gates of Hogwarts, the Sontaran squad leader stopped as she got close enough to perceive the glowing forcefield now flickering with tiny motes of light filling the air from the ground and reaching the sky above, covering the school in an enormous, semi-transparent sphere.

Pulling out her officer's pistol, Skane fired at the forcefield at close range. The phaser blast was scattered in all directions on the inside rim of the energy-projection. It failed to penetrate, or even mark, the barrier.

Giving a grunt of satisfaction, Skane turned and walked back over the stone bridge towards the Great Hall.

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

In the Transfiguration classroom, the cupboard doors gingerly swung open. The tips of two wands poked out into the darkness.

"_Homenum revelio!"_

"Ron! Professor Slughorn told us all _not_ to use that spell during the game! Otherwise, it would make things too easy – both for the murderer, and the other players! You'll forfeit the game!"

"I won't if you keep your silence, 'Mione!" Ron shot back at her. "Anyway, there's no one here in this room but us chickens." He re-directed his wand. _"Lumos!"_

After a pause, Ron spoke again as he looked up from his illuminated watch. "The lights should be back on by now, going by the times Slughorn was setting for the game."

"So the murderer should have already struck. It's not you, after all!" Hermione gave a sigh of relief, grateful that she wasn't the 'corpse' whose death was going to be the mystery of their gaming. Her wand now also lit up, Hermione walked with Ron over to the classroom room, and opened it. There was just a cold, dark, silent corridor outside.

"That's odd…" she muttered, stepping into the corridor. Ron abruptly placed a hand on her wrist, stopping her. "Wh-?"

"Something's wrong! Can't you feel it?" Ron whispered.

Hermione thought about that for a moment. She froze and mentally coaxed the wolf inside of her to listen and to sense her surroundings.

"Yes… You're right," she muttered.

"Then let's stay still and strain our ears!" Ron hissed back.

Hermione and Ron did just that. They resisted the impulse to cast lumos spells – and as their werewolf-enhanced hearing rose to the occasion at hand they could, even in human form, just make out the noise of pounding feet not far away. Somebody was running up the stairs, followed by a pair – no, two pairs – of heavy feet. Then more noises. And the sounds of someone gasping for breath.

"Halt! Put down your weapons. You will come with us!" a rough voice called out. Neither Ron or Hermione recognised it.

"Not a chance – helmet head!" The indignant response was that of a young man. _"Stupefy!"_

"Ur!"

"Edgar – get down!"

A couple of seconds later, there was the _'crack'_ of what sounded like a weapon of some kind being fired. Something exploded.

"_Lumos!" _Ron's wand lit up.

Hermione turned to him – her eyes and mouth wide open. "Ron…? What…?"

"Weasleys to the rescue, 'Mione?" Ron gave her a sharp look.

"Oh! I guess we had better do so…"

Ron shifted his wand to his left hand – then he took hold of Hermione's free hand with his right.

"One…," he muttered.

"Two…," Hermione gulped.

"_Three!"_ they yelled together, and raced out along the corridor – reaching the scene of battle at the end. The fighting was unfolding where the passageway met the nearest landing of the seven floor-high stairwell.

Just within the corridor, Rose Zeller and Edgar Mower were crouching behind a second suit of armour that was still standing on its base – the first having been blasted into assorted pieces and scorched by some type of weapon. Hermione's eyes took this in – then caught sight of the two squat blue-purple armoured figures climbing the last step of the stairs. They had lit, electric-like torches fitted on the sides of their helmets, just like an SAS squad she had seen on Muggle TV at some stage. The sight of the thick-set intruders, set against the darkness of the stairwell behind them, was unnerving to say the least.

More to the point, Rose and Edgar's assailants were now aiming their heavy rifle-like weapons towards her and Ron, just as they slowed down from their headlong run into danger.

"_Confringo!"_ yelled Ron, aiming his wand at one of the Sontaran troopers.

"_Protego!"_ Hermione shrieked, her own wand firing an instant after her husband's.

There were two energy blasts fired off by the pair of Sontarans. The shots struck Hermione's shield charm, and rebounded. One of them bounced right back and struck the trooper's shoulder. He cried out his pain and surprise, as he was spun round on the spot. His energy rifle fell from his loosened grip.

Meanwhile, Ron's Blasting Curse struck the helmet of the other Sontaran.

"_Yaaaggghhh!"_ The trooper yelled, as his helmet was blown into pieces. He staggered backwards, and then tumbled down the flight of stairs behind him, to land in an untidy heap upon the square corner landing.

As if on cue, there was then the sound of rumbling, as the flight of steps began to shift ninety degrees clockwise, pivoting on the space where the Sontaran with the now-shattered helmet was sprawled. The first trooper, regaining his balance, saw and felt what was happening to the landing at his feet – and he staggered onwards into the mouth of the rigid corridor to attack Ron, Hermione, Edgar, and Rose. He drew a blaster from his hip-holster as he did so.

"Watch out!" Hermione managed to squeal.

Edgar, still crouched down, sprang out from behind the standing suit of armour, and tried to rugby-tackle the Sontaran soldier. Meanwhile, Ron had just cast a disarmament spell at their joint foe – only to see his magic fail to break the firm grip of the squat warrior. Instead, the gun-arm of the intruder jerked upwards. A phaser shot was fired, and it struck the ceiling of the corridor, rebounding. Hermione screamed – and Rose added her shrill voice to Mrs Weasley's.

"Yield, humans!" the helmeted trooper roared. "Or die at the hands of a Sontaran!"

The ridge of the Sontaran's left gloved hand flashed downwards and struck Edgar Mower on the head. With a brief cry, he collapsed upon the corridor floor. Then the trooper advanced towards Ron, who reacted instinctively in the heat of the moment. Dropping his wand, he grabbed hold of the Sontaran's blaster with both hands, hoping to prevent any of them from being shot. Instead, Ron's face turned a shade even brighter than his ginger hair, as he strained to hold his own against his physically-strong opponent.

"Ron!" Hermione yelled. "Break off! I daren't shoot! Not with you in the way!"

"I…I can't! He's just got hold of me with his other hand, 'Mione…!" Ron pointed out.

As Ron and the Sontaran continued their slow dance at the mouth of the passageway, Hermione spied Ron's wand at their feet. She shot Rose a meaningful glance. The ex-Hufflepuff pupil was still crouched behind the suit of armour just few away from the combatants, her eyes wide with fear, apparently unable to break away from watching the Sontaran slowly overcoming Ron's struggles.

"Rose – you have a clear sight of…it! Use your wand – or Ron's! Try stunning it…"

"Stunning spells don't seem to work on them!" Edgar groaned, as he raised his face to speak and gingerly felt his blond-mopped head. Wincing, he passed his wand into the open hand of the trembling Rose.

"Animate the suit of armour, then! The spell is _'Locomotor' _! Hurry, Rose! I can't aim the spell with them in the way!" Hermione urged the other girl.

"W-we…c-can't…! We'll hit Ron… Wait! _Hold on!_" Suddenly Rose dropped Edgar's wand, and moved forwards, slipping past Ron and the Sontaran. She grabbed something else up from the floor…

Ron felt his sweat-drenched grip on the blaster slipping as the Sontaran gradually won control in the bizarre tug-of-war that their tussle over the weapon had become. He tried to focus and call upon the wolf within him. He needed its strength and its ferocity to overcome this armoured, inhuman creature…

Then, without warning, there was the sound of something slamming hard into the Sontaran from behind.

The creature stiffened, then gave a hoarse cry. Letting go of the blaster, the Sontaran swung round to confront Rose Zeller, who had just clobbered it across the back and neck with his earlier-dropped energy rifle. Ducking down, she avoided the alien's outstretched hands as the latter stepped past the recovering Edgar Mower. Seeing his opportunity, Edgar hurriedly got to his feet, and gave the Sontaran a helpful shove with all the strength he could muster.

The trooper, already dazed and lumbering forward, suddenly found himself unable to stop his increased momentum. With a scream, the Sontaran tottered on the edge of the corridor, where there was no staircase to step upon – and fell, arms flailing and at an angle, into the space in-between the four walls of the great stairwell.

The faces, and eyes, of the animated people in the portraits followed his descent – their mouths wide open in dumbfounded, silent screams.

There was an almighty '_thud!'_, as the alien finally made contact with something solid. It was a flight of stairs in mid-transit, at the first floor level.

The foursome all gathered at the mouth of the passageway, to look down upon the stationary face-down trooper, sprawled on the moving stairs. A quick check upon the other defeated creature, closer to them on the steps, revealed that he too had not moved since coming to rest from his tumble.

Hermione was the first to speak, after regaining her breath and wits. "Thank you, Edgar. That's…that's taken care of…whatever it was."

"It called itself a Sontaran," Edgar muttered. He rubbed his cranium. "Oh, my head…"

Ron looked down at the mess they had collectively made. "Yeah, well done, mate! I just hope that no more of them will come to check out that screaming!"

"Ron…!" Hermione abashed him.

"No, Ron… Ron has a point. We're not sure how many there are of these…Sontarans," Rose muttered.

"Well… We need some light, so we can see where we need to run, if necessary!" Edgar pointed out. He retrieved his wand, and cast the light spell. As the other three recovered and armed themselves with their own wands, the first flight of steps swung back and clicked into position again, connecting the passageway they were in to the landing with the first fallen trooper, Hermione urged them all to crouch down and creep down the steps. Doing so, they gathered round the landing where the Sontaran with the shattered helmet lay. Wands at the ready, Hermione cleared away the pieces from the head, to expose the grey-brown humanoid, potato-like cranium of the creature. He was dead – bleeding from multiple cuts in his skull and face.

Hermione winced. Rose followed her example.

Edgar whistled. "That thing can't be human…"

"Well, we have its second weapon now." Rose pointed the blaster upwards, to emphasise her point.

Ron glanced back up to the corridor, where the energy rifle still lay on the carpeted floor. Suddenly, noises on the first floor level reached his sensitive ears. Looking below, he saw another two squat, helmeted figures in the mouth of one of the passageways. Seeing the body of the fallen Sontaran, one of them reached for its wrist communicator.

"Wh-? What's that?" Hermione followed Ron's gaze. Her husband pressed his finger to her lips.

"Major Varn! This is Lieutenant Jarve… We have a trooper down!"

Swiftly – and answering the urgent motion of Ron's hands – the little party crept back up to the scene of their struggle, before they could be spotted. There, Ron scooped up the energy rifle.

"Let's quickly find and alert the other game players!" Ron hissed to Hermione, Rose, and Edgar. "The Murder Game has just been shot down! We've been invaded."

Hermione shuddered, as she considered what the Doctor had been saying earlier. "Yes – and apparently by aliens!"

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

On the second floor level of the main school, the Rutan continued its wanderings whilst maintaining its present disguise. Hiding behind whatever cover it could find – statues, suits of armour, and furniture – the intruder had kept itself out of sight, and reach, of the Sontaran patrols on the two floors below.

The Sontarans were always in pairs, it observed. They had finally learnt never to leave one of their own alone, whilst on a Rutan hunt - in case the trooper was killed and then duplicated by their enemy.

From intelligence previously gathered on the class of Sontaran cruisers such as the one now over…Hogwarts…the Rutan estimated there was around fifteen-eighteen Sontarans now in the building.

_We will find a way of eliminating them. But discreetly…_

_Energy levels low… Need to find power. Humans displayed power upon first contact, outside, with their weapons…_

_Likelihood of such humans fighting against Sontarans – probable. Conclusion – integrate with humans, in disguise, whilst conserving energy._

_We will survive! We are Rutan!_

Its strategy for the time being decided upon, the Rutan made its way onwards away from the flashing helmet lights of the searching Sontarans who were now climbing the stairs to the second floor.

Somewhere, close by - it knew – were the indigenous humans…

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

Back in the Great Hall, Harry glanced at the three remaining, helmeted Sontarans. He took advantage of the lull in proceedings to talk in hushed tones with the Doctor, Professor Flitwick, and Luna.

"Doctor – we can use the Marauder's Map to show those…Sontarans…exactly where the Rutan is, if they'll let us activate it!"

"But would it be wise to do so?" The Headmaster tried to control the squeaky tone of his voice, as he half-covered his mouth with the hand that was habitually tugging on his white beard. "There's no guarantee that these…things…will leave the school – or even this world – be, if they did corner and kill this Rutan."

"You are familiar with the Sontarans – are you not, Doctor?" Luna looked up at him. "Can you educate us about them?"

"You don't know anything about the Sontarans? They were behind the ATMOS devices in cars and lorries that were a means to change the Earth's atmosphere…" The Doctor trailed off, seeing the three blank faces regarding him. "Wait a minute… Which year is this?" he asked. "What's the date?"

Harry looked at him, in disbelief. "You don't know wh…? Well, it's 2002! The twenty-first of December!"

"What's ATMOS?" Luna enquired.

"What's 'lorries'?" Professor Flitwick frowned.

"Never mind… That incident will kick off in a few years time." The Doctor sighed, rubbing his brushed-up hair. "Basically, the Sontarans will NOT just go away! They will try to convert Earth into a new base for their cloning facilities! And if they ever manage to achieve victory in their fifty-thousand year-plus war with the Rutan gestalt, the Sontarans will soon get bored and seek out another worthy enemy to engage in war."

"What a horrid existence!" Luna shuddered. "If they have been fighting the Rutans for such a long time as you say, Doctor, then why don't they just draw up a binding truce – then go home and learn more peaceful means of living? Such as painting and gathering wildflowers…"

The Doctor gave a small laugh. "Oh, if only Sontarans thought like you, Luna…"

"That's probably impossible," Harry announced with a smile. "Nobody else _thinks_ like Luna! That's just one of the reasons why I love her so much."

Luna gave her husband a tender smile. "And I love you dearly too, Harry."

The Doctor gave a little cough. "Right… Anyway, the word 'peace' doesn't exist in the Sontaran rules of engagement. If however, I can track down this Rutan – and persuade it to leave with me, in my vehicle – maybe, just maybe, I could get the Sontarans to follow us to an uninhabited planet in the next solar system. That would save some of the people now being cut-up in the crossfire…"

"I'm afraid I have a problem with that, Doctor," Harry decided to interject.

"Why's that, Harry?"

"If the Rutan has killed Hagrid, then I have no intention of letting it leave Hogwarts, without it getting some idea of how I feel about it…!"

"Harry…" Luna stepped forward in alarm, and placed her gloved hand on his. "You must not let what happened to Hagrid lead you into dark places!"

"I'm sorry, Luna. I know. But you understand what Hagrid means to me. He rescued me from the Dursleys – and he was the key who led me into the world my parents were a part of!"

"So, helping the Sontarans track down the Rutan _wouldn't _be a good idea?" Professor Flitwick put to the Doctor.

He shook his head. "Nor is aiding the Rutan a particularly appealing prospect, really," the Doctor added, looking directly at Harry. "Neither of them will ever feature in the '1001 Friendliest Races Of The Mutters Spiral' that I once read, on one of the library planets. I forget which one it was… Definitely not Sentarion… But anyway, while both species are facing off each other – playing cat and mouse in this impressive castle of yours, there _will_ be people getting killed. The Rutan's bound to have seen the Sontarans arrive – and it will have, I reckon, assumed another disguise by now."

"And Ron, Hermione, and the others playing 'Murder' won't have a clue what's roaming in the school." Harry clenched his fist. "We need to take down those guards, then! But to do it without risking anyone's lives…"

"There's only one real weak spot on a Sontaran. It's at…" The Doctor broke off, and then closed his mouth. Commander Skane had returned, and was now striding from the head table towards the four captives who had aroused her special attention. She stopped suddenly, and held up a wand.

"Your weapons are…interesting. Why do they not fire whilst handled by us?" Skane asked the quartet.

She was met by a wall of silence.

The ends of Skane's thin lips were pulled downwards. "Need I have one of my squad to kill a prisoner, to get the answers I desire?"

"No, you don't." Harry narrowed his eyes at the threat.

"Then tell me why your weapons will not operate for me!"

"That's because wands have a magical connection to their owner. They can only work for a witch or wizard," Luna announced brightly. "And they perform best for the witch or wizard they choose."

Skane looked baffled. "Magical? What is that?"

"Magic? It's the power by which everything works, here…," Flitwick tried to explain.

"Enough! You three…" Skane pointed at Harry, Luna, and the Headmaster. "Identify your…wands…for me! Do not attempt to fool me in any way."

Reluctantly, the trio did so. Skane then gathered the three wands – plus the sonic screwdriver – into the palm of her left gloved hand. Next, she spoke into her wrist communicator, holding it close to her mouth.

"Lieutenant Krail! Technician Horrak is locked onto this position. Report here – along with Trooper Gorr. We have prisoners to bring up!"

"Understood, Commander," came the response on the tiny speaker.

Moments later, there was a flash and two more armed, helmeted Sontarans materialised just outside the Great Hall. As one, the pair marched into the high-roofed chamber, past the subdued captives, and stopped next to Skane and the four subjects of her interest.

"So much for not being able to able to apparate in Hogwarts," Harry muttered darkly. "Teleport, I mean," he added – seeing the Doctor's puzzlement.

"I don't think Sontaran technology – efficient as it generally is – is subject to your magical rules." The Doctor shrugged.

"Lieutennant Krail, Trooper Gorr – we will teleport the prisoners to _The Kelkarsis_! Gorr – take the two smallest captives," Skane ordered.

"_The Kelkarsis._ Is that the name of your cruiser?" the Doctor asked, out of interest.

"Correct, Doctor." Skane's right hand clamped itself around the Doctor's left wrist, whilst her left forefinger activated a button on her wrist device. Abruptly, both of their figures vanished in a flash of light.

"You two will join hands with me!" Gorr barked at Luna and Professor Flitwick.

Luna smiled. "That's nice. Do we get to play music and party games, too?" she asked sweetly.

"Silence - female earthling!"

"Just making conversation." Luna's smile vanished.

A second flash, emanating from the grey-collared Gorr, wiped the hand-touching trooper, Luna, and Flitwick out of sight.

Harry's lips lifted briefly, thanks to Luna's quirky remark. Then the blue-collared Lieutenant Krail clamped a heavy hand upon his shoulder, before activating his wrist transporter.

With the Great Hall blurring into non-existence, and the sensation that he was being dissembled piece-by-piece, Harry gritted his teeth. His last glimpse of the hall had been of the pile of confiscated wands on the staff table – with the Marauder's Map laying next to them…

_Author's note: _

_The reference joke about Sentarion is in relation to the Doctor Who novel 'Shakedown', which features both the Rutans and the Sontarans._


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six:**

**Resistance**

Instantaneously – or so it seemed – Harry found himself in a room filled with cabinet-shaped machinery, and consoles with various flashing lights. A green-collared Sontaran technician stood at the nearest set of controls – the sides of its exposed bald head tipped with short hairs. The alien's lipless mouth curled with what might have been humour, as Krail pushed Harry off the raised, lit dais they had materialised on.

Just ahead of him were Luna, the Doctor, and the Headmaster – who were being closely tagged by Skane and Gorr.

"Stay at your post, Technician Horrak," Skane announced to the other female Sontaran. She walked over and handed the sonic screwdriver, plus the three confiscated wands, over to the technical officer. "Hold these for scientific examination!"

"Yes, Commander," Horrak inclined her head slightly – then returned her attention to the numerous consoles and screens around the combined Control Room and Teleport bay.

"Welcome onboard the_ Kelkarsis_!" Skane announced with pride to her prisoners. "I hope that _I _will enjoy your stay here."

As they were being pushed along a corridor leading away from the Control area, the Doctor suddenly halted next to a long window set into the side of the spaceship. The view was a panorama of the school, facing towards the Black Lake.

"Hello! What's that out there?" the Doctor asked, keeping his tone light and conversational. "Is that a forcefield you've set up, Skane?"

The others stopped. Harry, Luna, and Professor Flitwick all moved to the thick glass, and saw the curved screen of shimmering energy which ran in an arc across the lake, cutting the Boat House in two.

"Move!" Skane bellowed. Krail and Gorr none-too-gently shoved all four of the prisoners onward to the next room along the corridor that ran alongside the edge of the vessel.

Within the next five minutes, Harry, Luna, Professor Flitwick, and the Doctor were all immobilised within four individual confinement beams that shone down from the high ceiling, in a detention centre of some kind. By now, the animal inside Harry was bristling - eager to break out of the dull yellow beams that were similar to the portable ones used earlier on him and the Doctor. The wolf wanted to teach the intruders a harsh lesson for their trespassing into Hogwarts. To make them regret their harsh treatment of him, Luna, and the others – even for what they were doing to the Doctor. People had been killed – by both the Rutan and the Sontarans. Before the night was out, justice to one degree or another would be served upon the murderers, Harry silently swore…

But right now, try as did, Harry could not even force a finger out of the light that was holding his sluggish body anchored to the spot. All four of them were weaponless.

_It's down to the Doctor to get us out of here, then! He knows the Sontarans _ – he reasoned. Harry looked across to Luna in the beam next to him. With an effort he managed to smile at her – to silently reassure her. She looked uncomfortable under the pressure of the confinement ray, but she gave Harry a fleeting smile back, which made him feel a little calmer.

Meanwhile, with Gorr on guard by the only exit to the chamber, Skane was pacing back and forth before the beam holding the Doctor prisoner. Krail, meanwhile, was positioned at a control console, facing the captives.

"It is an unexpected pleasure to have captured you, Doctor!" Skane stopped her pacing for a moment, to flash her yellow teeth at her 'guest'. "The knowledge and assistance you will provide us with, will help to bring our war against the Rutan race to a triumphant end!"

"Oh, you don't want that, surely?" the Doctor replied lightly, his hands frozen against the edge of the yellow beam surrounding his tall frame. "You'll only get bored, and look for some other territorial species to clash with! After all, how long did it take for the Sontaran clans to stop fighting each other – and unite as a race in the first place?" The Doctor paused, and then added. "Of course, if you and your brethren have decided that they'll give up war altogether – and take up some other life-long hobby, like golf or knitting, then maybe I direct you to the right people! Luna here, earlier suggested that you take up painting or collecting wildflowers…"

"War is our passion – our life, Doctor! We Sontarans will never be wholly satisfied until our empire has spread throughout the entire galaxy," Skane rebuked him. She ceased her tireless walk, and turned sharply towards the Doctor. "Now – where is your TARDIS?"

"TARDIS?" echoed Harry.

"My ship, Harry." The Doctor explained, looking pensive. "The Sontarans want it to learn the secrets of space-time travel. For it to be potentially their greatest weapon."

"Oh, right…"

"Indeed, we desire your Time Lord technology! And you will tell me where it is, Doctor," Skane leered. "If you do not co-operate, I will instruct Lieutenant Krail here to increase the pressure settings on the confinement beams. Which of these earthlings is the most important to you?"

"None of them. We've only just met tonight," the Doctor muttered back. His face was blank, but Harry caught sight of the gleam in his eyes that was directed at Skane. It read: 'Don't hurt them – or you will regret it.'

"Very well. Let us start with the young…lady." Skane had paused, in order to use a human word that was unfamiliar to her. "You are recorded as usually travelling with a female companion."

"She's not my companion! I travel alone these days!" the Doctor declared emphatically. "Thankfully, I've managed to get my hearing back, after losing the last one. She did get on my nerves – what with her yelling, and calling me 'spaceman'…"

"Tell us where your machine is, Time Lord!"

"Don't tell them, Doctor!" Harry cried out.

Skane gave a hard signal to Krail. An instant later, Harry yelled as the pressure in his beam increased. His head felt like it was being squeezed in a vice. Then his lungs began to struggle to draw in his breath.

Luna's silver-grey eyes went wider than usual. "No! Harry!" She tried to scream.

"Alright! Stop it! I'll co-operate…," the Doctor snapped at the Commander. In response, Skane gave another of her coded hand-signals – and Krail re-adjusted the pressure controls for Harry's beam. The young wizard slumped slightly in the column of light, and drew in welcome gulps of oxygen as his throbbing head slowly recovered.

_That was just as gruelling…as the Cruciatus Curse…!_

"The location of your TARDIS, Doctor," Skane pressed him.

"I will have to take you there. I'm a stranger to this place – as much as you are!" The Doctor paused, and then added. "Besides, you will need me to open it. These days the TARDIS is programmed to only open up to me."

"Palm print technology, Doctor?" Skane gave a calculating grin.

"No, it's not! So don't even think you'll get in, by cutting my hand off and carrying it to the TARDIS! You need me alive to get in! And…and the TARDIS is…some distance away… It's… It's…"

"…in the Forbidden Forest. You told us earlier, Doctor," a dreamy sounding voice declared.

Harry looked up with surprise. Luna was giving the Doctor a straight-faced, but meaningful look – which the Doctor also caught.

"Yes – the…Forbidden Forest, as you call it. Near…"

"…Hagrid's Hut," Harry coughed, looking the Doctor in the eye as the Time Lord (or so Skane had called him, Harry mused) managed to turn himself round to face the young wizard.

The Doctor managed a slow nod. "There you go, Skane! Harry, Luna, and the Headmaster know the way. We can all go together!"

Harry eyes took in the exposed faces of the three Sontarans present. None of them seemed to have picked up on the subtle communications between the Doctor and Harry and Luna. Then again, the Sontarans weren't human. How familiar were they with the various ways humans and Time Lords could communicate messages simply by emphasis on words and expressions?

Apparently not that familiar. The Sontaran commander blinked her small eyes, and said nothing at first – as she considered the Doctor's words. Then her wrist communicator bleeped. She pressed a button, and announced. "Skane here!"

"Major Varn reporting, Commander. Two of our troopers have been found dead, on one of the stairwells of the complex!"

"The Rutan's work?"

"No, Commander. We have detected humans still at loose in the building. We believe they must have eliminated the troopers!"

"_What! ?"_ Skane's grey-brown skin seemed to redden somewhat in her anger, Harry perceived.

"Also - we have captured some more of the non-human natives, Commander. They were working as servants in 'the kitchens', as they call the area. They attacked the troopers who were patrolling there," Varn added. "Perhaps we should…"

"Yes, Major. I concur with your thinking! Bring one of the captured servants to established map grid reference Sector Frass – co-ordinates Brok-Kor by Sar-Torq. I will meet you there."

"At once, Commander! Varn out."

Skane then turned to Lieutenant Krail. "Release the prisoners!" she ordered.

A moment later, the beams were switched off – much to the relief of Harry, Luna, Professor Flitwick, and the Doctor.

"Thank you! Now what happens?" The Doctor loosened his collar and tie, so that he could breath easier.

"We are all taking a short journey. A demonstration is in order." Skane glared.

The smile on the Doctor's face vanished. "No, it...is…not!"

"Silence! The humans need to learn what resistance to the Sontaran Empire truly means!" Skane snarled.

"Oh, no…" Luna's face turned pale – and Harry automatically reached out for her hand. He held it firmly.

"If you kill us, you _will_ regret it when our friends find out!" Harry bristled.

Skane gave an unpleasant smile. "I am not planning on killing any of you, _here_. Yet!"

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

Ron, Hermione, Rose, and Edgar were planning their first move. Hermione had considered setting up wards, so that the four of them would have an area free of the Sontaran patrols – giving them the space to plan further ahead. But Ron had instead suggested that he and Hermione used their werewolf natures to find their fellow lycanthropes Clifford Chagoja and the Patil twins.

They were presently crouched behind shelves of classroom materials, in a storeroom off the corridor they had been in, using only Edgar's wand for lighting their faces. Ron removed his mask and tucked it into a pocket of his red spandex trousers. Then he put forward his plan.

Rose looked bewildered. "You can track them down…? How?" she asked.

"It's because Ron and Hermione are both werewolves. Remember, Rose?" Edgar muttered. "I thought all the pupils knew that. They'll transform and use their stronger wolf noses to sniff the other players down…"

Hermione gave Edgar and Rose a small smile. "There's more to it than that, guys. Even in wolf form, we would still struggle to cover the school quickly enough, given its size. What Ron and I will do now is focus. Our…pack…has discovered that we can sense where our sire and protégées are, if they are close by, and if we mentally concentrate on them. Especially if we are emotionally close to that person."

Rose's eyes widened, as she took in the implications.

"Sire? Protégée? You mean the werewolf who infected you? And those you…create?" Edgar gave a low whistle.

"That's right, mate. Clifford is Hermione's werewolf protégée – and Padma Patil is mine." The ends of Ron's lips curled upwards. He closed his eyes in concentration. "Padma's somewhere on the upper floors… Hold on – she's upset over something… Her sister!"

"Clifford's thinking of Parvati, too! I sense running water… A place of privacy." Hermione opened her own eyes. She saw that she had inadvertently raised a hand and pointed it in a certain direction – towards the lake; and apparently to the floor above, judging by the slight elevation. Ron and the others were now staring at her.

Ron hurried to the glass window of the storeroom, and followed the direction of Hermione's hand – using the outside of the school to orientate himself.

"Not far from the Black Lake, Hermione… A private place, with running water…"

"The prefects' bathroom!" She gushed, pleased with herself.

And so they got to work. Within the next few minutes, the foursome was running over towards the prefects' bathroom on the fifth floor. En route, they bumped into the red-and-pink costume-clad Lavender Brown – who was asking if anyone knew why the lighting had not come back on. Hurriedly, Edgar and Rose filled her in – as the party continued on their way.

Then, they ran into a pair of Sontaran troopers. Lavender screamed, making Ron's ears ache. Before the intruders could fire, Rose raised the blaster that she had in both hands, and squeezed the trigger, hitting one of the Sontarans and wounding it. Meanwhile, Ron let rip with the energy rifle obtained from their fight next to the stairwell. The kick of the first shot send him crashing backwards into Hermione and Lavender. As they all got back up, however, they saw that he'd actually - and accidentally - hit a statue that had been next to the Sontarans. The fragments and debris of it were now splayed over the pair of still-twitching troopers. The latter were now stirring from their fallen positions on the corridor floor. One of them painfully bent his arm and spoke into his wrist communicator.

"Troopers Greel and Kroll reporting in, Major Varn! We have been attacked by humans using Sontaran weapons on Level Sar. Request immediate back-up…"

"Blast!" spat Ron.

"Literally! Let's practice being somewhere else," a scared Hermione suggested. "Before their friends arrive!"

The five rattled targets turned tail and ran.

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

About twenty minutes later, Ron breathed a sigh of relief as the portrait of the Fat Lady closed behind him. He looked round at the Gryffindor Common Room, as Hermione and Lavender used their wands to activate the gas lighting and the fire. Slowly, some warmth filled the chamber – and the five escapees sat down on the sofa and chairs present, as they rubbed some warmth back into their limbs after their nerve-raising experiences in the cold corridors of the school.

"Lucky that we knew the current Gryffindor password…," Ron muttered to his wife.

"Staff privileges can be useful," Hermione agreed.

Rose Zeller was sat on a chair, experimenting with the blaster they had taken from the Sontaran who had fallen to his death in the stairwell. Taking careful aim, she fired it at a vase of flowers in front of one of the windows, shattering the container and sending the stems and water in every direction.

"Rose! What on _earth_ are you doing with that blaster?" Lavender jumped, and spun round to chastise the Hufflepuff pupil. The others all looked across, too.

"Testing it. We need all the weapons we can get, against those…Sontarans. Edgar found out that…stunning spells don't seem to work on those brutes." Rose paused, and then continued. "There are different settings on this blaster. Maybe…if this sliding button is adjusted, like so…" She aimed at the matching vase set in the window sill next to the now-shattered one, and pressed the trigger.

This time, the vase shuddered as the phaser blast struck it. The glass started to crack outwards from the point of impact, but then the damage reached its limit. There was no leakage of water.

"A stun setting…" Hermione nodded. "Okay... Keep it like that, Rose."

"Why don't you just stick to your wand?" Edgar muttered, looking as though he wanted to test out the blaster for himself. Which was rather ridiculous, thought Hermione, as he was currently the guardian of the energy rifle – after Ron's mishap with it.

"This…this seems as though it will be more effective against the Sontarans." Rose looked down for a moment, trying to found the right words to express herself. "Sorry… This evening is… It has been too frightening…"

"Too right, it has!" Lavender squealed. "Will someone kindly explain what are those…_things_, roaming the school?"

"Apparently, they call themselves Sontaran, or Sontarans," Edgar explained. "I was, along with Lorna, trying to find a suitable hiding place whilst playing that Murder Game – when those squat thugs showed up on the floor we were on and aimed their guns at us! Lorna and I panicked, they fired, Lorna fell down – and I ran!"

"Then, before long, Edgar found… Well, we collided with each other, in the near-dark. He was still being pursued by those…Sontarans," Rose spoke up, looking tired, as she rubbed her head. "We found out that they…couldn't be stunned – so we ran on. Then you two came to our rescue." She looked across at Ron and Hermione.

"What about Euan? Wasn't he with you?" Ron pointed out.

Rose frowned. "Don't know where he is… Those Sontarans fired at us, and we ran. Later…, we slowed down to regain our breaths – only he… He wasn't around! A little later, Edgar came along."

"And Ernie? We last saw you pulling him along, Lavender…" Hermione put to the other ex-Gryffindor girl.

Lavender sniffed, as she rubbed her hands by the fireplace. "Haven't a clue about Ernie's whereabouts, now! We were together, but this witch had to go to the girl's room. And, after coming out… He wasn't anywhere to be seen."

"Great… So Lorna could be dead! We've lost some of the game players. And we've got non-human intruders in-between us and the rest of the people we know. And we don't even know _why_ these Sontarans are here!" Hermione huffed.

"It must be…because of whatever fell into the Forbidden Forest, 'Mione!" Ron straightened himself from where he was leaning against the back of the sofa, standing behind the seated Hermione. With a thoughtful look, he walked across to the windows in turn, and carefully peeped around the drapes. At the second window, he stiffened – and then gestured with a toss of his head to the others. "Look over here," he urged them.

They got up and did so. Lavender gasped as her eyes took in the giant blue metallic sphere with four leg-like attachments that had clamped itself around the dome of the Astronomy Tower.

"So… We _are_ dealing with aliens!" Hermione shivered. She snaked an arm around Ron for comfort – and he held her back, in turn.

Suddenly, there was a thud at the entrance to the Common Room. The pupils and ex-pupils could hear the muffled protestations coming from the portrait of the Fat Lady.

Rose's eyes widened, and she quickly ran over to where the portrait door opened. She levelled the blaster, and prepared herself.

"Let us take them down," she muttered.

"Rose! We don't know who it is, yet!" Hermione exclaimed. She took a position next to Rose, and tried calling out to the Fat Lady. "Tell us who it is, Madam! Please!"

But the thumping continued. It was her only answer.

"Not a Gryffindor then!" Ron pointed out. "Only one way to find out…" He nodded at Edgar, who set ready the energy rifle.

"Oh, okay…" Hermione looked around at the 'welcoming committee' and caught Ron's meaningful glance. She turned back to the portrait door and called out: "Leo Nine!"

The door 'clicked' open, and a shape shot through the gap with frightening speed…

With a yell, Rose fired her blaster.

There was a 'yelp'. The arrival was momentarily lit up by the blaster shot, and then it fell upon the red-coloured carpet.

"It's Fang!" Hermione gasped. "Put that gun _down_, Rose!"

The two Weasleys rushed over, and examined the prone boarhound.

"He's…, he's not moving!" Hermione spun her face round to glare at Rose.

"Sorry…! It…it was set on 'stun'." The ex-Hufflepuff pupil stammered.

Suddenly, Fang's body jerked in Ron's arms. He opened his eyes, and growled at him.

"He's alright…" Ron released the breath he had been holding back. Then he got up, and looked through the portrait door to check on the corridor. "Call us if you see anyone else - okay, your ladyship?" he asked the Fat Lady. "Let us know who, or what, it is – mind!"

"Oh, very well, Mr Weasley… I will," the animated portrait huffed back.

Closing the door to behind him, as he re-entered the Common Room, Ron saw Rose bending down next to Fang, placing her hand on his head – as if to apologise. Fang gave a canine smile.

_Well, now we number six… Not that Fang was much help when he faced the giant spiders with Harry and me, all those years ago…,_ Ron considered.

"He must have picked up our scents in here." Edgar nodded at the dog.

"So what do we do now?" Lavender looked around at the others. "If the game is over…"

"The Murder Game is over, all right." Hermione gave Lavender a withering look. "The theme of the evening now is called staying alive. And I don't mean the Bee Gees song!"

"Wh-what…?"

Hermione ignored Lavender's baffled expression. Instead, she jumped and gave a small cry as something made a loud _'pop' _right next to her. Then the agitated group lowered their wands, as they turned and saw a House Elf wearing a tea-cosy.

"Winky!" she exclaimed. "Don't frighten us like that!"

"Beg pardon! How should Winky be frightening you, Mrs Weasley?" the newcomer asked, in confusion.

"Don't frighten us at all, is what I mean!" Hermione wiped away the sweat of fear that had formed on her forehead.

"Winky is glad to have found you, at last! She has been searching over the school, whilst trying to try keep out of sight of the nasty potato heads!"

Ron snorted, remembering the appearance of the Sontaran whose helmet he had shattered. "Tell us what news you have, Winky!" he urged her, recovering his composure.

"Those horrid things came into the kitchen! They said they were looking for 'the Rutan'. Some of us House Elves took exception to the potato heads upturning the cupboards and getting in the way of our work. We's fought with magic and cooking pots!"

"And…?" Rose pressed Winky.

Winky sniffed. The five humans present could now see the dried tears underneath her eyes. "The brutes killed three of us good House Elves!" she wailed. "But Winky, Corper, and Krimper… We were so scared – we's disapparated to safety. We's decided to apparate from place to place around the school – to find help…"

By the time Winky finished her account, Ron, Hermione, Lavender, Rose, and Edgar had learned several things. One - the Sontarans were holding most of the staff, pupils, and ex-pupils in the Great Hall. Two - that Professor Flitwick, Harry, Luna, and the stranger who was Barty Crouch Junior's double had been seen being dissaparated from the Great Hall by Winky (who had been hiding under a covered table at the time). Three - that Professors Lupin, Sprout and Faraday were still at large – having evaded the Sontaran patrol around the third floor. Four - that Padma Patil and Clifford Chagoja had been accounted for – and had taken refuge in the Room of Requirement on the seventh level. And lastly, five - that none of the House Elves knew what the Rutan was supposed to look like – except that whilst hiding in the Great Hall, Winky had understood that the creature was some kind of shape-shifter. And some of the frightened animated portraits had made reference to some 'glowing green demon'.

"Where are your fellow Elves Corper and Krimper now, Winky?" Edgar frowned.

"Mr Mower – Winky left Krimper with the three Professors! And she understands that Corper is with Mr Chagoja and Miss Patil. They were hoping to make for the Room of Requirement!"

"What about Parvati? And Ernie Macmillan? Have you Elves seen them?" Ron questioned Winky.

"And…Euan?" Rose added.

"And Lorna?" Edgar contributed to the list.

"Winky does not know! She is not familiar with those people!" Their helper looked apologetic and tearful.

"Well… Thanks for telling us – and for tracking us down, Winky." Hermione gave the House Elf a small smile. "At least we have more to go on, now…"

"So – what do we do about…this invasion?" Lavender whimpered. Shivering, she sat down next to the silent Fang, and rubbed him. He growled – then fell quiet, allowing the witch to stroke him, as he laid down in the middle of the room.

Nobody replied at first. Then Hermione walked up to Ron, and whispered to him. "We could do with Harry's invisibility cloak. It's in Harry and Luna's quarters!"

Ron nodded. "Nice one! We can get Winky to fetch it for us!"

"I'll talk to Winky…" Hermione got down on her knees, in order to get the House Elf to run the errant. Winky nodded, and then disapparated with a _'pop'_!

A couple of minutes later, Winky returned with the cloak.

"Right…," declared Ron. "It's about time us still-free witches and wizards pooled together. Let's get over to the Room of Requirement…"

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

As Harry was escorted down the twisting, descending path towards the Boat House, the wolf within him started to bristle, and silently snarl at a warning to his human mind. He paused on the last set of steps, only to poked in the back by Lieutenant Krail's energy rifle.

"Cut it out! Do you want me to fall down these stairs?" he rebuked the helmeted Sontaran.

"Silence! Move on," was Krail's only answer.

Harry – plus Luna, the Doctor, and Professor Flitwick only stopped with their Sontaran escort when they all reached the next bend in the pathway on the rocky slope – in-between flights of stairs. The screen of shimmering energy was now just two-three yards in front of them, bisecting the second set of steps from the Boat House. This close to the Black Lake, the lights of Hogwarts failed to light their way. Instead, illumination was provided by the lit glass lanterns set at frequent points along the path, tied to poles. And there were the electric lights fixed upon the side of the Sontaran helmets.

Right now, the four captives were lined up in a row, and made to face Commander Skane. She stood to one side. Krail and Gorr took their positions to watch over the prisoners.

Also present were two more Sontarans. The first, judging by the grey colour of his collar, was a trooper. The second – missing his helmet, like Skane - was the scarred Sontaran Major Varn. He had with him his own prisoner – the House Elf called Poddy. She had stopped bleeding from a head wound, and she could barely stand. Varn was holding onto her firmly, to prevent her from collapsing.

Luna gasped, and had to be restrained by Harry from dashing forward to aid Poddy. Krail had already aimed his rifle at Luna – ready to fire, if necessary.

"What have you_ done! ?_ The House Elves are servants of this school. You should be _ashamed_ of yourselves!" Professor Flitwick addressed both Skane and Varn. Harry had never seen him looking so angry.

"This inferior being was one of a few who interfered with the search for the Rutan, as our troopers examined your…kitchens," Varn explained. "I have understood, from Trooper Vruk here, that they slowed down my men by throwing weapons at them…"

"Spoons!" Poddy corrected him. She lifted her face, and coughed. From where he stood, Harry thought he could smell blood on her breath. Poddy then added, "Knives too, mind... And cooking pans! You…brutes…were inferring with the cooking of the warm desserts...!"

"Enough! Continue with your report, Major," Skane prompted Varn.

"Commander - our troopers were attacked, and returned fire. They killed three of the…Elves…and restored order. I was informed that a few of the Elves disappeared before our men could eliminate them."

"And the dog got away from you, too! Oh, he was too quick for you numbskulls, as he raced away upstairs…" Poddy gave a weak laugh.

"Fang's okay, then! That's good," Harry exclaimed. "What about Winky, Poddy?"

"She was one of those who disapparated, Mr Potter…!"

"Silence!" Skane interrupted. "Any resistance to our mission here will be met with punishment! Major Varn – be ready for my order."

Varn gave a brisk nod, and seized the weak House Elf with both hands, lifting her up. She shrieked, and tried to free herself from the Sontaran's grasp.

"No!" Luna cried out. "Poddy can't disapparate! She's too weak…"

"That is why she is here - as an example to you all!" Skane smiled triumphantly at her captive audience.

The Doctor's face turned red, and he took a step forward. Krail re-aimed his rifle at the Time Lord. The Doctor ignored him, and instead addressed Skane, in a tone that struck Harry as threatening.

"Commander – we get the point! If you really want my co-operation, then release that House Elf! Now!"

"But the point has _not_ yet been made, Doctor." Skane nodded to Varn.

The Major swung his body back, as in the manner of a shot-putter – and then flung the wailing Poddy towards the shimmering screen of energy close by. There was a flash, a brief scream – and then the remains of a Weird Sisters T-shirt, plus a few scraps of scorched flesh, showered down upon the path below the impact point.

Luna's cry caught in her throat. She turned to Harry – silver-grey eyes wider than normal. Then she flung herself at him, sobbing loudly. Harry quickly wrapped his arms around her – too shocked to speak himself.

Seconds passed. Then Skane cut off the angry yells of the Headmaster.

"_Murder!_ Cold-hearted murder…!"

"Silence, Headmaster! You will now be returned to your…Great Hall…by Major Varn. There, you will inform the other prisoners, of what they can expect if they do not co-operate with us whilst we undertake our mission here. I will address the issue of your non-human status later. Go! Trooper Vruk – stay here."

"Yes, Commander," the latest trooper responded.

Casting a worried look at the Doctor, Harry, and Luna, Flitwick headed back up the twisting pathway – accompanied by Major Varn and his drawn blaster. Luna, meanwhile, was still crying – but with Harry comforting her, her tears were now silent ones.

Harry caught a glimpse of the Doctor, who had now squatted down. He was looking closely at what was left of the House Elf, and he seemed to be studying the…forcefield. Yes, he had called it a forcefield, earlier on.

"You really should _not_ have done that…," the Doctor was muttering. He gave Skane a piercing look that looked as if it could kill.

"You three will now come with us!" Skane ordered them. "Lead us to the TARDIS, Doctor. Any tricks, and…" She gestured with her hand to the screen of rippling energy that was surrounding Hogwarts.

"My wife needs to recover from what you've done!" Harry snapped at the Sontaran leader.

"I will _not_ wait. She comes with us – or she stays on The_ Kelkarsis_!" Skane retorted. "In the Detention Area."

"It's…it's okay, Harry. I'll be all right, with you besides me…" Luna sniffed. She wiped aside her tears, and placed her hand in Harry's.

He gave her slim hand a gentle squeeze – and gazed into her eyes, communicating without words. Together, they faced the three Sontarans. Harry fought to hold back the bile rising in his throat. He took a deep breath to steady himself – and managed to keep his anger in check, for now.

"All right… Let's move on!" Harry managed to say.

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

What happened next puzzled Harry. Taking hold of their three-remaining prisoners, Skane, Krail, Gorr and Vruk teleported the group back to the _Kelkarsis_. Once on the Teleport pad in the Sontaran vessel, Skane gave Technician Horrak instructions. The female technician made adjustments on her console – then the ship became fuzzy again before Harry's vision. Seconds later, his surroundings – and those surroundings of the other six – were replaced by the scenery of the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Looking around, he saw that they were now standing next to Hagrid's Hut. A lump formed in his throat as he was reminded of his lost friend. Sensing this, Luna's black-gloved fingers stroked his red-and-blue gloved hands.

The Doctor came closer and nudged Harry and Luna with his elbow. Following his gaze, they turned round, and saw the huge half-circle of the shimmering forcefield that hung over Hogwarts, against the backdrop of the cloudy night sky – making the school look vaguely like one of those Muggle houses held within a snow globe, Harry reflected.

"The curtain of that energy barrier was closer to the buildings than when we saw it earlier, don't you think?" the Doctor muttered to the Potters.

"Why, yes it was!" Luna replied, as she dried the last of her tears. "But how…?"

"The forcefield is designed to gradually collapse in upon itself… This is bad…" the Doctor whispered to them.

"Here is the only hut we can detect, youngling!" Skane addressed Harry. "You told us that the TARDIS is close to here…"

"Er… Yes… Yes, I did," admitted Harry. He rubbed his free gloved hand through his untidy mop of hair, thinking what to do next.

"I'm still a little lost. Which is the best way for us to travel in the forest, do you think, Harry?" The Doctor angled his face, and allowed the ghost of a smile to reach only the Potters.

"Um…" The memory of another crisis floated upwards into Harry's conscious mind. Then, it was Hermione with him – and the hateful Dolores Umbridge. Hermione took the three of them into the Forbidden Forest, leading Umbridge to 'Dumbledore's secret weapon'. Only Hermione's real destination was the centaur area of the forest - where the creatures had dealt with the obnoxious Ministry of Magic-appointed 'High Inquisitor', by carrying her off…

_It's worth a try… I don't have any back-up plans!_

"This way! Follow me." Harry pointed towards a faint trail that led into the forest, and started walking. Luna kept in stride besides him. The Doctor and the four Sontarans followed closely behind. Soon, the seven of them had left behind the illuminations of Hogwarts and the surrounding forcefield – and only the tiny torches on the sides of the Sontarans' helmets – plus the sights on their weapons – provided any light to guide their way in the pitch dark. Mist hung over the forest, making long-distance vision between the trees nearly impossible.

"Let's make it a brisk walk!" the Doctor announced cheerfully. "Time is of the essence, you know!"

Harry nodded, and increased his pace…

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

About a mile or so into the forest, Harry slowed down a bit, as he led the group into a dell that was close to the edge of the forest mire, where the mist was thicker. His ears were picking up the first rumblings of hooves – not quite loud enough to alert the Sontarans yet. A glance at Luna's pale face, though, showed that she was wearing the ghost of a smile – and he knew she was aware of the gathering centaurs.

The Doctor was flagging somewhat with the walk. Despite their somewhat shorter legs, however, the Sontarans did not seem weary from their exertions. Harry guessed that, given their squat build, they came from a planet with a heavier atmosphere – and that the relative lighter pressure of Earth worked in their favour.

"How much further is the TARDIS situated, Doctor?" Skane rumbled.

"Oh – not far now! Should be just beyond this next rise, or so…"

"Halt! Who are you strangers?" a male voice demanded.

Skane, Lieutenant Krail, and Troopers Gorr and Vruk stopped and looked around them, with surprise. On one side of the wide dell, in-between the scattering of trees - and standing some considerable yards away - the centaurs had lined up, emerging from out of the mist. They were even now beginning to slowly and quietly load their bows with the first notch of arrows. Amongst them was a pair of centaurs he did not know – one male and one female. But also present – to Harry's delight – were Ronan and Neville. In turn, Neville spied Harry, and then - quickly assessing the situation - draw out his wand.

"_More_ half-humans? What species is this?" The baffled look on Skane's face was a picture, Harry considered.

"Get ready!" he hissed to Luna and the Doctor.

"I said _who are you! ?_ The Potters we accept as friends to the haras – but the rest of you should answer, now!" Magorian spoke again, anger rising in his face – barely lit by the lights set next to the Sontarans' helmets.

"This man is with me and Harry, Magorian. Please do not hurt him!" Luna's airy voice rang out.

"We are troopers of the glorious Sontaran Empire!" Skane levelled her blaster at Magorian. "We have come to seize this man's vessel as an asset to our campaign to eliminate the menace of the Rutan race…"

"Magorian! Ronan! Firenze! Neville! Shoot at the Sontarans!" Harry yelled, then politely added. "If you please!"

"Right-o, Harry!" Neville called back. _"Reducto!"_

His wand flashed with light – and Skane yelled as she was sent flying by the blast caused by Neville's spell striking the ground at her feet.

"Strike them down!" the alien Commander barked at Krail and Gorr, as she tried to pull herself free from the thorny bush she had just collided with.

"RUN! ! Centaurs, take cover!" Harry shouted at their inadvertent rescuers.

Chaos soon broke out. Krail fired his energy rifle at Neville, who had already cast a shield charm, which deflected the alien blast. Meanwhile, in a practised, fluid motion, Vruk turned and fired his rifle – striking the human fore chest of the unknown male centaur, who screamed and collapsed upon his side. Gorr also fired – his shot just missing the centauress's foreleg . She had reared upon her back hooves - then pranced aside to attend to her injured kindred. Given the distance, the poor light, and the mist, Gorr had failed to strike his large target.

"Fire arrows at those helmeted assailants!" Magorian roared, jabbing his fingers towards Krail, Gorr, and Vruk.

The three Sontarans quickly took cover behind the nearest bushes and trees. Vruk shielded Skane as she rose back upon her feet. He took aim again with his energy rifle – only to draw in his breath sharply, as the first connecting arrow struck the blue-purple armour covering his lower torso.

"Uh!" Dropping his rifle, Vruk pulled out a metal ball-shaped object from his belt. "Commander – take cover…" He gasped to his superior, who had now freed herself from the bush.

"Grenade!" Skane warned Krail and Gorr. Then she ran for the cover of the trees. A couple of arrows glanced across the thick section protecting her upper back, and fell down – failing to pierce her thicker officer's armour.

Then Vruk tossed his grenade towards the centaurs.

"Get back…!" Neville urged his kin. They faltered – then quickly turned and ran away from where the grenade had landed, on the path between the trees.

Seconds later, the grenade blasted a spray of soil into the night air.

Skane moved quickly, reaching the relative safety of the nearby thicket of trees – along with Krail and Gorr. But as Vruk got up and dashed over to them, he was struck by a second arrow, then another. The second and third were in his back – and as he spun round to throw his next grenade, the fourth missile hit him in the chest, slamming him against the tree behind him. Vruk gurgled in pain, and dropped his primed grenade – as his hand clasped at the latest offending arrow…

_No!_

Skane turned, and ran onwards – away from where she had last seen the centaurs.

Seconds later, the blast rang out – taking the screaming Vruk in the process. The cry of yelling centaurs rang out, somewhere in the background.

Commander Skane raised her head from where she had been flung to the ground by the explosion. Snarling, she looked around for the rest of her company – and the prisoners…

None of them were at hand. Startled, she trained her eyes on where she could hear shouting. Krail and Gorr were running after the disappearing figures of the Doctor, Harry, and Luna.

"Circle around the dell. Find the other intruder!" Magorian urged his fellow centaurs.

_No…half-humans… It will not be so easy to kill me. I am a Sontaran officer! I am well prepared for various…situations…,_ Skane silently sneered. Still lying flat out on the ground, she pressed a button on her wrist pad. An instant later, her form shimmered and disappeared from sight.

With no more shots being fired, the centaurs finally dropped their caution and moved towards the thicket of trees, unable to detect the invisible Commander as she kept still and silent – patiently awaiting her chance to slink away. She clenched a fist in her fury.

_You will _NOT_ get the better of me again, Doctor! And _neither_ will your companions…!_

When she was sure the centaurs were far enough away, Skane carefully rose, and – still invisible – made her way onwards…

_Author's Note:_

_Old-time Doctor Who fans have hopefully picked up on my reference jokes with the Sontaran trooper names of Greel and Kroll…_

_The idea of the forcefield was originally inspired by the heat barrier in Doctor Who: The Daemons. However, I've developed the idea a little… _


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven:**

**Discovery**

Elsewhere, within the school of Hogwarts itself – events were now unfolding.

Thanks to the apparation and co-ordination between the House Elves Winky and Corper, Ron and Hermione's group had now managed to safely navigate to the Room of Requirement, on the top level of the main floors. There, they discovered that Clifford's party had since expanded. Besides the Patil twins, there was also Ernie Macmillan and Oliver Wood. Both of them looked a little worse for wear – having managed to dodge Sontaran gunfire. The tunic of Ernie's Green Arrow costume was singed at one shoulder. And a grubby-faced Oliver had shown the newcomers his broken wand.

"Just fell to the floor, whilst escaping those beasties. Caught ma wand at the wrong angle," he admitted ruefully. "Luckily, they couldn't run as fast as this wee rabbit." Oliver pointed the sorry-looking wand at himself.

"Lavender! You're okay!" Ernie Macmillan looked up as Padma used her wand to treat his shoulder injury. "Where did you get to? You weren't in those toilets, when this mug had to hide from those…things roaming the corridors!"

"Well…," Lavender trailed off. She narrowed her eyes. "You came looking for me, in the girls' toilets?"

"Yes! Safety in numbers – and all that!" Ernie retorted. "You said you had some mistletoe you were saving for a special occasion! But you just disappeared…"

"She's the Murderer – that's why!" Parvati Patil fumed, squaring up to her giggling friend of old. "I reckon she was using you as her alibi."

"Hey! You can't go solving the murder, when you were the murder victim!" Lavender protested. "Not that you're wrong…"

Ron and Hermione took this all in, and faced each other. Simultaneously, they rolled their eyes.

"Shut up – everyone! The Murder Game is over!" Ron paused. "I'm glad that you didn't kill me and Hermione, mind, Lavender…"

"It wasn't the right time to strike – going by Slughorn's rules - when I found you pair!" Lavender pointed out. "Sorry, for picking on you anyway, Parvati! You were just the first available victim I came across – after I left Ernie around, as my potential alibi. Glad you recovered from my petrification spell, anyway."

"It was Corper who helped Parvati there…," Clifford muttered. "Anyway – what's our next move, Ron?"

"Why let Ron make the decisions? Can't we have a democratic vote?" Rose opinioned.

"Ron should decide, as he's our beta pack leader! Our alpha – Professor Lupin – is missing in action," Padma pointed out. "And Hermione's a beta, too. They will decide. Clifford, Parvati, and me will follow."

"So long as you don't forget us mere humans…," Edgar grumbled.

"We won't, Edgar," Ron promised. He stepped forward and raised his voice.

"Right! Listen, everyone. We're safe for the moment – the Sontarans shouldn't be able to track us in here. And Winky and Corper have just left together, to see what's happening with Krimper's group. We've got Harry's invisibility cloak with us. Plus a couple of Sontaran weapons – which Rose and Edgar have practiced with. And we've got our wands. Well, apart from Oliver…"

"Don't rub it in, Ron…," a dreary-sounding, Scottish-accented voice piped up.

"The prisoners are being held in the Great Hall." Hermione took her place besides her husband. "Winky's already told us there were just three of the Sontarans guarding them. And most of their wands are on the head table! We just need to distract the Sontarans sufficiently – without getting anyone killed… Well, apart from the aliens - that is! Us werewolves won't be able to bite through their helmets or armour, I believe… But we have to do this carefully and quickly…"

"And don't forget this shape-shifter that Winky told us about, Hermione!" Ron added. "This…Rutan. If it's hiding from those Sontaran thingies…could it disguise itself as one of us?"

"Ron! Don't interrupt m- _Oohh!_" Hermione's mouth froze in mid-speech.

_Ooohhh!_

The room was suddenly quiet. Everyone present seemed to freeze. Eyes flickered to the person who was standing and sat next to them. Somebody coughed nervously. Fang gave a faint growl.

_If only we had the Marauder's Map with us…!_ Hermione thought to herself.

Then Lavender jumped up and gave a scream, as several grey shapes rushed into the Room of Requirement, via the wall next to her. The wild-haired figure of Peeves crackled loudly. Besides him were the four ghosts of the houses of Hogwarts – the Bloody Baron, Nearly-Headless Nick, the Grey Lady, and the Fat Friar.

"Sorry, we are late! And that's _not_ meant to be a ghost joke, by the way," Sir Nick declared.

"We had trouble getting her ladyship and the Baron to agree to put their differences apart," the Fat Friar announced sadly.

"The needs of the school come first," the Grey Lady spoke with authority, as the spectral fivesome floated to a halt in the centre of the room before their stunned audience. "The House Elf named Corper came to Sir Nicholas within the last hour, urging us to gather our forces together."

"It was not me who was so tardy – it was this gibbering idiot, who refused to join our company!" The Bloody Baron pointed his rapier at Peeves. "But I have brought him to heel!"

The poltergeist pulled a face, and stuck out his tongue at the Slytherin ghost.

Fang stood up and growled again at the ghosts. Rose shushed him.

"Er… Okay." She gulped nervously. "Why are you here now?"

"Why, dear lady. We wish to help rid Hogwarts of those intruders!" Sir Nick's smile faltered. "Unfortunately, only Peeves here can actually throw any missiles at those squat fellows – and he's been distracting them already – but if anyone has ideas…"

Ron sharply jumped up from his seat. There was a wide grin on his face.

Hermione took in his expression. "Ron? Wh-"

"You wanted something to distract the Sontarans, 'Mione… We've got our distractions right before us!" he happily declared.

The smile on Hermione's face was shattered by a sudden _'pop'_. Two House Elves appeared in the room – Winky and a male, dressed in a little jumper depicting a snowman and snowwoman engaged in a snowfight. Both of the arrivals looked tearful.

"Winky! Corper! What… What's wrong?" asked Hermione.

"Corper is sorry to report that Krimper is…dead!" the jumper-clad House Elf wailed.

After a few minutes, the group managed to get the latest news out of Winky and Corper. Remus Lupin, and Professors' Sprout and Faraday – along with Krimper – had been tracked down by a Sontaran patrol, who had managed to break into the Hospital Wing with their weapons, despite the magic defences the Professors had cast. Evacuating the Wing, the party had made an escape bid – and lured their Sontaran pursuers to the Whomping Willow, in the hope that the underground tunnel could be used to sneak past the forcefield that was surrounding the school.

In the fight that took place, a Sontaran had been sent flying into the forcefield by a swipe from the hostile, magical tree – disintegrating the unfortunate trooper. But Lupin's party had found themselves trapped underground in the tunnel…

"The barrier that those nasty potato heads have set up around the school – it was in the tunnel too! Corper saw it!" Corper bounded up and down on his thin legs in his agitation. "Corper found the Professors just before the potato heads got into the tunnel too! Professor Lupin – he ordered Corper to go and spread the word what had happened. So Corper did what he was told! He found Winky, and told her…"

"…And when Winky and Corper went back to the tunnel, they found Krimper dead! We have seen the others taken away, by the nasty fiends, at big wand-point!" Winky concluded the story.

"Er… That would be 'at gunpoint', Winky. Thank you both…" Hermione sighed and rubbed her head. "So, that's another three prisoners – as well as another death. We need to get moving, Ron!"

"Yes… What's the plan, if you're in charge, Ron?" asked Ernie.

Ron paced the floor in front of the lit fireplace in the room, his brow furrowed. He muttered lowly to himself for some moments – then stopped and faced the rest of the gathered company, both alive and spectral.

"Right! This is what I propose…," he began.

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

As soon as the fighting between the Sontarans and centaurs had started, Harry had seized his opportunity. With a look at Luna and the Doctor, the three of them had made a sprint for it – whilst the Sontarans were preoccupied.

At first, racing in the dark (and surrounded by mist), the trio hadn't been concerned about which direction they were headed – so long as it was far away from the whizzing arrows and the Sontarans' gunfire.

Then, leaving the edge of the dell behind, they realised – thanks to the _'squelch_'ing noises underneath their feet – that they had entered a boggy area. A couple of dry trails lead onwards from their position, running in-between marshy pools. Here and there were positioned a few clumps of trees.

Harry, Luna, and the Doctor skidded to a halt at the junction – and nearly lost their balance in the process.

"Good plan, Harry and Luna!" the Doctor patted their shoulders. "Now – which way back to the castle?"

Harry took a moment to gauge his bearings in the mist. The school buildings had to be on the other side of the northern reach of the bog they had blundered into. And…yes…, their only illumination now visible to them was the blue glow of the Sontaran cruiser, the _Kelkarsis_ – still 'anchored' to the Astronomy Tower.

"The path on the right…," he panted. "And it's got trees for us to hide behind…!"

Luna anxiously glanced back the way they had come. "Harry… Doctor… Those horrid Sontarans are after us!"

The two men spun round. Still half-hidden by the swirling mist, Lieutenant Krail and Trooper Gorr were racing out of the dell – intent on re-capturing their escaped prisoners.

"Halt! Surrender – or we will shoot to kill!" Krail warned them.

"Harry – once we're behind the trees, we can ch-"

"Change – yes, Luna. Come on!" Harry urged his companions. They took off again, sprinting for the trees along the right-hand trail, close to one of the deep pools. On the way, the three of them occasionally zigzagged, in order to dodge the gunfire of Krail and Gorr, as the two Sontarans let rip with their rifles. Plumes of earth splayed upwards. Harry wiped the dirt off his spectacles, but otherwise kept going – looking over his shoulder only to check that Luna and the Doctor were by his side.

Within the minute, the fugitive trio dived behind the thicket of trees – just as the blast of Krail's final shot with his energy rifle uprooted one of the younger trunks. Harry's heart hammered in his chest, as they all lay out on the ground, face down. He knew what to do next – but there was the safety of the Doctor to consider…

"Doctor – here! Take my glasses, and keep them safe. Luna and I have to do this! We've no weapons, Just… Don't do anything to provoke us, all right?"

"Such as what?" The Doctor gave him a piercing stare, once he had folded Harry's spectacles into his shirt pocket.

"You'll see. Please keep still for as long as you can, Doctor." Luna smiled. Jumping up with Harry, the Potters joined hands, and closed their eyes. Focusing.

Seconds later, another layer of sweat formed on their foreheads. The Spider-Man and Black Cat costumes began to shimmer – then they vanished altogether, leaving only Luna's metal spiked collar, with her wedding ring hanging from a metal loop attached to it. Harry too, had his wedding ring connected to a now-revealed metal collar around his neck – only without the spikes in his case.

Their joint nakedness did not last long. Before the Doctor's wide eyes, myriad hairs started to grow from the skin pores of the Potters – matching the jet-black of Harry's untidy mop; but coloured grey and white in Luna's case. The small, slim breasts of Mrs Potter quickly shrank, and were pulled into her chest – then became furred over. The bodies of Harry and Luna gradually altered – the feet getting longer, with the addition of an extra joint; the upper legs shortening; chests widening; bones cracking and re-shaping. Necks thickened – the metal collars expanding accordingly as they had been charmed to do so whenever their owners transformed from human form. Fingernails lengthened into sharp claws. Hairless tails began to grow from their rears, before becoming coated with a layer of fur – thick fur that was cloaking the rest of the young couple's bodies. The effect was rather like seeing a speeded-up film of grass growing – the Doctor considered.

"Ah… I see…," he muttered, trying to keep his fear under control.

With a crunch of bones (and some discomfort), Harry and Luna's faces altered – their ears stretching back into furring, pointy and twitching animal sensors. As if to act as counter-balance, two darkening, leathery noses forced their way forwards – along with the muzzles that were forming beneath. Whiskers sprang out to taste the air, as Harry and Luna snarled, revealing their grown, drooling fangs. At the same time, their eyes snapped open. The green and silver-grey pupils had now been replaced by amber ones – primed for seeing in the dark. The minds behind both sets of eyes now conditioned to hunt down and eliminate their pursuers. Their hunters who were about to become the prey…

The Potters growled loudly as their simultaneous transformations ended. Standing over the Doctor was a black-furred wolf man, and a slender-looking wolf woman with grey fur and a white undercoat. Apart from the fact that they were now comfortably standing on the balls of their feet, Harry and Luna had not gained height or mass with the change. The two shape-changers sniffed at the Time Lord – scenting his fear, even as he tried to do his best to keep still.

_Don't panic…! And don't run, Doctor…_, he told himself.

Then Krail and Gorr appeared from around the edge of the thicket of trees – Krail running into view from the left; Gorr hurrying in on the right. As one, they took in the sight of the two werewolves – and froze. Despite the fact that both of them were still wearing their helmets, the werewolves could tell that the aliens were shocked. Their strange scents still conveyed the familiar odour of fear…

"What…? What are these _things_? Where have the humans gone – Time Lord?" a bewildered Krail snapped at the Doctor, even as he raised his blaster at Harry.

_NO!_

"_Noww…!_ Harry snarled at Luna. In the same instant, he flung himself at the Lieutenant. Behind him, Luna growled and sprang forwards at Gorr – grabbing hold of his raised and re-loaded energy rifle, and pushing it to one side a second before it was fired.

The Doctor shuddered as the blast struck the ground near to him. Eventually, he managed to lower his hands from his face – and he jumped back up, to witness the two separate fights between Sontaran and werewolf.

Harry's half-paw grabbed hold of Krail's forearm, and twisted it upwards. The Sontaran fired – the phaser shot whizzing into the air like a flare. For a moment, Harry was beginning to physically overcome his just-smaller opponent. Then he growled, as the Sontaran held firm, and slowly pushed back with his considerable strength. The blaster that was the prize between them started to edge downwards towards the werewolf's skull…

_Not working…! His stance and arms are too strong. Unbalance him!_ Harry snarled to himself.

Without warning, he overcame his lupine instincts and let his body fall backwards. Krail grunted, surprised, as he went sprawling over Harry and rolled over, his up-side down head striking an adjacent tree with force - before his armoured figure slumped to the ground. In the confusion, his blaster flew from his grasp and chattered close to the trail they had ran along, just a couple of minutes before…

Harry rolled his hairy body over, and glanced behind him. He was in time to see the gaze of the Sontaran trooper Gorr following the path of the energy rifle that Luna had just sent flying down the muddy slope that led to the nearby bog. Then, dodging a clumsy claw-swipe from Luna, Gorr quickly took off his helmet, sidestepped – and then slammed the dome of his helmet with both hands into Luna's furred ribs. With a howl, Luna stumbled and fell off-balance.

Harry's protective streak flared up in him – but before he could get up, Gorr had dropped his helmet, before jumping onto the muddy bank, his destination the landed energy rifle that lay close to the water's edge. An instant later, Luna yelped and then threw herself after Gorr. She belly-flopped upon the slippery slide, slamming into the screaming Sontaran, as the latter was trying to get back upon his knees and re-aim the reclaimed weapon in his hands

"_Luu-na!"_ Harry wailed, afraid for her.

The Doctor sprang up. "I'll help her, Harry! Remove Krail's helmet – and strike at the probic vent on his neck…" He trailed off, and pointed behind Harry. "He's going for the blaster!"

Harry spun round. Krail had indeed recovered from his collision with the tree, and he was running straight for his weapon. Harry gave a protesting howl, and sprinted forward.

He made contact with the Sontaran Lieutenant from behind, just as Krail picked up his blaster and straightened up. Harry bared his fangs, and embraced the alien with his strong, furred arms – his nails clawing at the armour. His fangs failed to pierce the helmet before him. Meanwhile, Krail gave a battle cry and tried to use his strength to throw the werewolf off him – without success.

_Stalemate…_, Harry realised. _I can't bite into Krail! Or claw him…_

_Remove his helmet, the Doctor said…_

Using his own strength and weight to bear the Sontaran back down upon the ground, Harry half-paws clasped Krail's helmet and twisted it in the same manner as he had seen Skane remove hers. Then – with a tug – the helmet came off.

Harry was now aware of some pounding noise close by – the source hidden in the mist. It was getting louder – but he didn't have time to identify it. With a roar of defiance, Krail slammed his elbow into Harry's stomach – then rolled aside, managing to throw the werewolf off him.

When Harry scrambled back upon his knees, he saw a sneering Krail aiming his blaster at him. The face was just like Varn's – only Krail bore several, smaller scars instead of one long, deep one.

"Congratulations. Your death is about to become the greatest personal victory of my career!" He smiled at his defeated foe.

"Harry – get clear!" a familiar voice cried out to him.

Harry had no time to think. He caught a glimpse of what was coming, and reacted instinctively by rolling to one side. Meanwhile, the now-thundering rumble was bearing down upon Krail.

"_Wh-? Aaaggghhh! !"_

The Sontaran had been quick enough to see his peril – but not fast enough to escape it, or shoot his blaster. The hooves of the centaur Neville Longbottom slammed into the torso and head of Lieutenant Krail with timed precision. When Harry was able to inspect the battered body, his lupine hearing took in the death-rattle of his enemy.

_Luna!_

Turning, Harry bounded on all fours towards where he'd last seen Luna and Gorr, fighting at the base of the muddy slope. He stopped and gave a sigh of relief, as he saw Luna holding her opponent underneath the surface of the bog, with her half-paws exerting considerable pressure upon Gorr's back and unmasked head. A gurgling gush of air-bubbles gradually petered out, and the trooper's gloved hand let go of the she-werewolf's neck. It slid down her furred chest and flopped down onto the surface of the green-coloured water.

A thin branch was sticking vertically out of Gorr's neck. Carefully making his way down the slope, Harry saw that the tip of the branch had been rammed into a vent at the back of the Sontaran's neck collar.

_So that's what the Doctor had in mind…_, Harry reflected to himself.

The Doctor himself suddenly poked his head out of the water, gasping. Spitting out the part of the bog that had got into his nose and mouth, he crawled onto the nearby bank and got his breath back. He looked across to Harry and Luna, and smiled.

"Ah, good… We're all still alive, then!"

Smiling, the wolf-woman that was Luna Potter waded out of the bog and embraced her waiting wolf-man. Nuzzling each other with relief and joy – the couple then carefully walked over to the Doctor and – taking an arm each – simultaneously helped him up. Next, the three of them headed back up to the clump of trees they had used as cover. There, Neville was waiting for them. Seconds later, the centaur Magorian slowed down from his run, and regarded the escaped prisoners of the Sontarans.

"Greetings, Master Potter and Lady Potter." The centaur leader bore his eyes at the Doctor. "But I do not know you, stranger…"

"Hello! I'm the Doctor… I would shake hands – if I wasn't such a mess right now…"

"Are you alright, Harry? Luna?" Neville asked them.

The Potter werewolves slowly nodded. "Nneed to chaange…, Nev-ville…" Harry growled.

Magorian and Neville nodded back. Harry and Luna slipped behind the thicket of trees, and there followed a series of various sounds: bones shortening, lengthening, and cracking, and a few _'ouch'_s. It ended with a few _smacks_ of lips making contact – followed by Harry's protestation of 'Hey! Stop that, now!", and feminine giggling.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "We can't afford to waste time, you pair!" he called out.

"Sorry – just making sure our injuries are healing," Luna explained, as she re-appeared with Harry. The two of them were back in their Marvel costumes exactly as before – except for the mud-and-grime look the couple had now acquired. "We usually heal fast – but…"

"…that fight was gruelling. We couldn't take on the Sontarans so easily," Harry admitted, completing Luna's sentence, as he took hold of his spectacles from the Doctor's outstretched hand. He slipped his glasses back on. "Thanks, Doctor. And thank you for coming to my rescue, Neville."

The young centaur-wizard smiled. "Glad to be of help, Harry!"

"And thank you, Doctor, for sticking that branch into Gorr's…" Luna trailed off.

"…Probic vent. It's the weak spot on a Sontaran," the Doctor explained. "They are actually proud of it. They claim that having their Probic vent there forces them to always face their enemies. That way they never surrender."

"Well, Krail and Gorr should have learnt how to walk backwards, then." Luna smiled.

"I've never seen Sontarans walking backwards - come to think of it," the Doctor mused. He handed Harry his spectacles. "So… You two are werewolves. At least your eyes don't turn black."

"Um… Why would they?" Harry narrowed his gaze.

"Well, there was another werewolf I once met in Scotland. Nasty thing… It was an alien parasite in a human body – and it was out to infect Queen Victoria, killing anyone in its way."

Harry's mouth went slack for a moment. "You…met Queen Victoria?"

"Yes. But that's not important right now! What's your story? Were you pair born werewolves, as well as magic-users?"

"No. Ours is a long story. All you need to know is that we're part of a pack that defends Hogwarts." Luna's airy voice piped up.

"And that our territory has been invaded. So it's good for us to finally get our claws out!" Harry added.

"Enough! You three need to come with us," Magorian announced levelly to the Doctor and the Potters.

"Er…? Where to? Why…?" Harry replied. "We need to get cleaned up!"

"I'll sort you all out in a moment," Neville grinned, as he pulled out his wand from the jacket that he was wearing on the upper, human half of his centaur body. "But Magorian's right…"

"Look, Neville – the school's in danger! These Sontarans…" Harry gestured to the crumpled body of Krail, "…and another monster they've been pursuing – they're on the loose inside Hogwarts! Almost everyone's been taken captive by the Sontarans. And Hagrid wasn't Hagrid, we've found out! He could be dead…" He trailed off as Magorian raised his hand.

"With respect to you, Saviour of the Wizarding World – and ally to our haras… Be silent!"

"Oh… Right."

"Come with us to the centaur camp. A friend of yours there has requested your presence. Someone who has spoken of a green…devil," Magorian declared solemnly.

Harry and Luna saw the Doctor raise his head, in interest.

"Really…?" The Doctor's lips broke out into a slow smile. "Let's meet your friend, Harry…"

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

_Well, it's not every night you get to ride on the back of a centaur!_ _Or see their community…_

The Doctor smiled to himself, as Neville lowered himself onto his knees – allowing his passenger to climb off. With a "Thanks!" to the young wizard-turned-centaur, the Doctor watched as Magorian also bent his four legs, so to ease the descent of Harry and Luna as their feet made contact with the ground once more, after their journey.

The Potters and the Doctor took a quick look around at the village of wooden buildings and tents now surrounding them. Centaur families and wary-looking adult males looked up from their hot meals of game and vegetables, cooked over the open camp fires before them. Their eyes took in the three non-centaurs, now being directed by both their leader and one of their new converts towards one of the larger tents, which were situated at the edge of the clearing, deep within the far reaches of the Forbidden Forest.

Around the entire edge of the village, lanterns lit by centaur-magic were hanging on tree branches. More glow-lanterns were set on the short grass, and also placed within each tent and wooden building.

"Nice place you have here," the Doctor announced to Magorian and Neville.

"I've never been here, before," Harry admitted. He nodded to the centaur leader. "We're honoured, Magorian. I know you would not bring us to your village, lightly."

"I do so only, because you and your friends have brought about the defeat of the Dark Lord and his followers," Magorian intoned sternly. "And because we require answers as to what has come to Hogwarts… But come! First, your friend has need of you. This is where we tend our sick." And with that, he led the way into the wooden building. Harry, Luna, and the Doctor followed – with Neville bringing up the rear.

His eyes adjusting to the light of the glow-lanterns within the single-level structure, Harry saw the centauress Charlotte Longbottom tending to a man who was resting on the hay-strewn floor, with a pillow and blanket to ease him. It was…

"_Hagrid! !"_

Harry and Luna ran over to the half-giant. He gently pushed aside the soaked cloth that Charlotte was treating his face and head with – then sat up and hugged the Potters; Harry with one arm, and Luna with the other.

"It's good to see that you are still alive, after all, Hagrid!" Luna beamed at him.

"An' it's good to see yeh pair – after wha' I've been thru', 'arry and Luna!" The groundsman smiled ruefully.

"But… Didn't the Rutan…attack you?" Harry tried to get over his shock – and his unexpected joy.

"Oh, tha'! Somethin' brigh' an' green lashed owt at me, sure enough - when me an' Fang came across some metal _thing_! Whatever fell down from thur sky, it broke up and sank in them bogs, in the spiders' territory. I was on tha' path when it attacked. I cunna aim ma wand in time. Thur blasted thing gave me somemutt like the Cruciatus Curse! I blacked owt! Next thing I knew, I was floatin' in the bog – an' nearly drownin'! I managed to pull meself back onto thur path. Then I stumbled an' fell on the way back…"

"One of our patrols found him, and his wand, whilst they were making sure the giant spiders stayed within their part of the forest," Magorian explained. "We brought him here, within the last hour. Charlotte has been tending him.

"Thank you." Luna gave both Magorian and Charlotte a warm smile. "The day we lose Hagrid would be a sad day for us. He means a lot to Harry – and so he means a lot to me, too."

"Yes – thank you all," Harry echoed, nodding.

The former Hufflepuff pupil blushed – feeling a little shy at the expression of gratitude. "You're welcome! With Neville's sharing his know-how of Herbology, and the centaur haras bequeathing their medical knowledge to me, I have been learning how to become a healer for our people. It will take some years…"

"…but your work so far has been impressive, young sister!" Magorian complimented her, making Charlotte blush once more.

Neville trotted over to his wife, and laid himself down on all fours besides her. He rested his hand on her shoulder – then looked back at Harry, Luna, and the Doctor. "Hagrid had some deep cuts on him, when he was found. I was in the patrol – and I used my wand to help heal some of the damage, before we brought him here," he filled them in. "Luckily, Hagrid's got the constitution of an ox!"

The Doctor nodded. "The Rutan… The thing that attacked him was checking out his physical constitution – before adopting his shape for itself. That's why it cut him up."

Hagrid frowned, and slowly sat up. "Who are yeh, anyways? Yeh remind me of an old photo I saw of Barty Cr-"

"I'm not him!" The Doctor sighed, and briefly went on to explain the events of the night so far. By the end, Magorian, Neville, Charlotte, and Hagrid had learned of the natures of the Rutan and the Sontarans.

"There's more! The Sontarans have erected a forcefield around the school – and it's gradually contracting. The Sontarans have done this, to force the Rutan out into the open. It's most likely hiding, in disguise, somewhere indoors…"

Harry sucked in his breath. "I thought the edge of the forcefield had shifted! So, you mean, as soon as it touches anyone trapped within the school…"

"That's right, Harry." The Doctor looked grim. "That energy barrier is designed to destroy any living matter it makes contact with – leaving the stonework undamaged as it passes straight through! We have to get back onto the _Kelkarsis_, and see if we can take down that forcefield. Failing that, we need to get all of your people out!" He threw down one of the Sontaran wrist devices. "Luckily, I thought to take this from Krail."

Luna tilted her head to one side, taking in all the latest developments with keen interest. "And what of the two Sontarans we left behind?" she asked Magorian and Neville.

For an answer, the centaur leader gave a hard smile. He pulled out something from a pouch tied to his side. He dropped it next to Krail's wrist device – revealing an identical contraction.

"We removed it from the body of the…Sontaran…we found. We could not trace the other – the female… Though we searched around."

"I did hear something though, after the attack. A voice," Neville pointed out. "It sounded unnatural. Like a voice on Muggle mobile phones I've overheard in my past. I stopped to listen, whilst I was searching for the missing Sontaran. The voice was asking for…Commander Skane… It stated that the humans had been sighted, during a clash with troopers Greel and Kroll. And that contact with the fugitives had been lost. Then the voice was cut off."

"I wouldn't be surprised if Ron and Hermione are right in the action…" Harry gave a tight smile.

"Neville, you must have overheard Skane…" The Doctor groaned. He scratched the side of his head, thinking furiously. "It seems as if she was shrouded – or hidden. She left on her wrist communicator and received the report... Then she realised you centaurs were nearby. She silenced her communicator – and that way she evaded you. She'll be heading back to Hogwarts – via the _Kelkaris_. That's the only way anyone can get in or out of the forcefield! Unless…"

"Unless what?" Harry prompted him.

"The TARDIS – my craft. If the Rutan realises who I am, it will equate me with its racial knowledge of the TARDIS – and seek its escape, by tracking me down. And I'll have to use the TARDIS as an escape option for anyone who we can't get out of Hogwarts via the Sontaran's vessel. And you will need these to get onboard the _Kelkarsis_!" He held up the two wrist devices to emphasise his point.

"Oh yes! _Where_ is your craft, anyway, Doctor?" Luna asked him lightly. "We did manage to lead Skane on a wild Crumple-Horned Snorkack chase…"

"It's in the castle. In one of the towers…," he started.

"Which one? Describe it!" Harry urged him.

"Wide circular room. Blue colours. Has a statue of a lady with an inscription… What was it? Ah, yes! 'Wit without measure is man's greatest treasure'!"

Luna's silver-grey eyes widened even more so than usual. "Ooh! You landed in the Ravenclaw Common Room? Did your craft damage the walls?"

"Er, no. The TARDIS materialised within the room," the Doctor explained. "But we'd better move! That collapsing forcefield is only moving slowly – but it won't wait for us to act! Who's coming with me to the Sontaran vessel? I should be able to work these wrist teleporters – but we need to be close enough to the ship for them to work!"

"Count me in!" Harry declared. He looked across to his wife for her answer. "Luna?"

"Of course, Harry," Luna's Irish accented-voice answered.

"I'm comin' too, 'arry!" Hagrid surprised them. He pulled back his blanket, and slowly got up. He was still dressed in his trousers. Harry and Luna saw the bandages covering parts of his arms and torso. The groundsman reached for his brightly-coloured socks which were lying nearby with the rest of his clothes, and carefully lifted his legs to put them on.

Charlotte stirred. "Hagrid…? Are you sure?"

"I'm certain, Charlotte! I want to get back at tha' creature tha' attacked me an' Fang!"

"Fang's okay, Hagrid! We brought him into Hogwarts when we…um, took your _double_ to the Hospital Wing. Last I heard he was somewhere on the loose, in the school," Harry informed Hagrid.

Hagrid suddenly froze. Then he put down his foot – the sock only partway on. His heel was still exposed.

Neville's hands shot to his face. He rubbed his eyes. "Oh… Crumbs! We forgot to say!"

Harry looked carefully at the Longbottoms. Both Neville's and Charlotte's faces had turned pale. And Hagrid's expression was downcast.

Meanwhile, the Doctor had just slapped himself on the forehead. "Idiot! I didn't think there would be tw-"

"Tell us…" Harry breathed. Luna had just sucked in her breath. Her keen intellect - which had resulted in her being placed in Ravenclaw house - was taking in what had just been said. And she had read the glum expressions before her.

"Oh no…!" she whispered.

"It's like this, 'arry." Walking slowly – testing the weight on his legs - Hagrid led the Potters and the Doctor to a corner of the building, where there was a separate room. Magorian followed them.

Opening the wide door, the centaur leader revealed an empty space, lit by a solitary glow-lantern. There was only one other item on the straw-laden floor – a shape that was roughly the size of a small child. A white sheet was covering it.

Harry's nostrils flared, taking in the scent of death. He strode forward and pulled away the sheet.

Underneath was the stiff body of the boarhound Fang – his fangs bared in agony. Which was not surprising, as his body had been partially dissected - cut deeply by lash-like marks, which Harry had seen on Nurse Shapiro and Professors Faraday and Sprout. Only their wounds had been much shallower.

Thankfully, Fang's eyes had been closed.

Luna made a choking noise – then turned sharply away. She clung to Harry, who held her back and felt her damp hair, as she silently cried. He felt numb inside.

"The patrol who found Hagrid, also searched the mire…," announced Magorian

"I told 'em to. I dinna know if Fang was still in the bog, or if he'd got away," Hagrid confessed.

"Both the Sontarans and me… We all assumed there was only one Rutan. There were _two_ all along in that escape pod!" The Doctor declared joylessly. "And we brought _them_ into the school at the same time… Well, the question is – is the false Fang still a dog? And where is 'he' currently hiding?"

"An' the other…Rutan…? Thur one who attacked me?" Hagrid pointed out.

"Most likely it's since gone on the attack again. This time, going for someone smaller and without your stamina, Hagrid. Or so I suspect," the Doctor pointed out.

"So whose poor devil is laying dead, somewhere – presumerably hidden? Whose face is it wearing now?" Harry spat. His thoughts drifted to Hermione, Ron, and the others in the school. Possibly dead. Or maybe still alive. But unaware of the second hidden enemy amongst them…

Rubbing his right hand gently through Luna's hair as he dried away her tears with his left, Harry turned round and faced the others.

"Let's get back to that Sontaran ship!" he snapped. "We've got a school to evacuate!"


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight:**

**Green Eyed Monster **

The journey back to Hogwarts was swift. Harry and Luna sat together on Magorian's equine back, as he raced through the night-shrouded, misty Forest, leaping over streams and fallen branches before him.

Immediately behind were the Longbottoms – Neville bearing the Doctor, whilst Charlotte raced alongside, acting as the party's wand-armed escort. Bringing up the rear was Firenze, who – with silent dignity – carried Hagrid's weight.

Before very long, the four centaurs slowed down and came to a halt – their breaths now visibly filling the cold, early winter air along with those of their privileged passengers. Eight pairs of eyes took in the shimmering screen of energy that surrounded the school from all sides in a vast, aerial half-dome.

And right at the centre of the projected forcefield stood the Sontaran cruiser, the _Kelkarsis_ – a blue-lit metal sphere with its four curved legs, still clamped to the dome of the Astronomy Tower, as if it was some kind of bizarre, bloated spider, waiting for its prey to pass by within sight.

"I was wise to have misgivings about this night…," Firenze announced to the others.

"So these beings whom held you prisoner are indeed from beyond this world…" Magorian stiffened. Then he lowered himself to the ground. "We trust that you are able to rid us of these intruders, Doctor?"

"I'll certainly try, Magorian," the Doctor replied as he swung his legs over and jumped off the centaur leader. "Thanks for bringing us here!"

Hagrid, Harry, and Luna also dismounted.

"How do we fight the Rutans, Doctor?" Harry asked him. "You've demonstrated the Sontarans' weakness – with that probic vent…"

"The Rutans are difficult to kill, too," the Doctor admitted. "First of all, I wouldn't tackle them in your werewolf form, Harry. A Rutan will lash out at you with its tendrils, and electrocute you – before you could make contact with your claws." He stood still, thinking furiously for a long moment. "And striking a Rutan with your magic probably won't help much, either – I reckon. They feed on electricity. They might feed on any spell you fling at them. But… Hold on! Rutans dislike intense heat... Can you two conjure fire spells?"

"We sure can." Harry's smile then slipped. "But not all wizards and witches are able to – it's an advanced form of magic. And we need to get the word around to everyone in the school!"

Suddenly, Luna stood still. She looked thoughtful.

"What is it, Lu?" Harry asked.

"An idea, Harry! Whilst you and the Doctor use those Sontaran devices to apparate to their vessel, Hagrid and I can use the fireplace in his hut to send a message!"

"Fireplace…?" The Doctor frowned.

"Wizards and witches can use fireplaces as a magical means of communicating…," Harry quickly explained. "Were you thinking of contacting the Ministry, Luna?"

"No! Don't get more people here – it will only add to the killing, once the Sontarans and the Rutans openly clash!" exclaimed the Doctor. "We need to get your people out of the school…"

Luna nodded. "I was thinking of using the school's private network of fireplaces to send a warning to the prisoners in the Great Hall! As for the flue system…"

"I don't have enough flue powder in thur hut, Luna. But sendin' a warnin' through thur fireplace – tha's a grand idea, lass! Yeh can use my fire for tha' ." Hagrid patted Luna's shoulder. "I'll unlock thur door for yeh. But I want tur step into thur fray, so tur speak. I'll be joinin' yeh and thur Doctor, 'arry!"

"What…? Have you recovered enough, Hagrid?" Harry pointed out.

"I have, 'arry. Don't yeh fret over me! Now, 'bout gettin' the school evacuated… Can any witch or wizard apparate _naturally _on an' off tha' alien ship – if tha's the only way pas' tha' barrier, Doc?"

"I don't know," the Doctor muttered. "That's a good question."

"Let's try…" Harry closed his eyes and tried to focus on the squeezing sensation of apparition. Suddenly, he drew in his breath and re-opened his eyes. At the same time, Luna quickly grabbed hold of his forearm.

"Don't do it, Harry!"

"You…sense it, too?" he asked her. "A feeling that it would be dangerous to apparate to that vessel by our magic?"

She nodded, and glanced again at the _Kelkarsis_ hovering over the school. "The Sontaran technology shouldn't be able to operate within the vicinity of Hogwarts, because of the background magic. Yet it does! I don't want you taking such a risk, crossing that energy barrier, Harry. Unless you use the Sontaran's wrist devices. I think we will have to evacuate everyone out of the school without any apparating directly through the barrier." Luna paused, frowned. "Oh dear… The owlery! Those poor owls will panic when the forcefield penetrates their living quarters…"

"We can't help them, right now – I'm afraid," the Doctor pointed out. "Let's get onto that spaceship – and then get out those who we can, from the school…!"

"Right. Jus' a moment…" Hagrid pulled out a key from a pocket on his dark overcoat, and unlocked the door of his double spell-guarded hut, letting Luna in – once she and Harry had kissed.

"We will stay here – to help gather the evacuees to safety," Magorian declared.

"Thanks, guys!" Harry waved. Then, exchanging an apprehensive smile with Luna – who stood at the door of Hagrid's hut – he took his leave, along with Hagrid and the Doctor.

"Let's see… The Sontarans pressed this button, then this..." The Doctor experimented on the device now strapped to Hagrid's wrist. He was rewarded by a flash of light, which engulfed the half-giant – wiping him out of sight.

"Ah! That works. Now for us." The Doctor fastened the second device around his right wrist and locked it into place. "Take my hand, Harry…"

The young wizard did so – and the sensation of being disassembled, then re-assembled filled his being. In a matter of seconds, the exterior sight of the school was replaced by metal and plastic consoles lit by myriad lights. The near-silence of the forest's edge was gone. Humming machinery filled Harry's ears. The cold air gave way to a warm, if slightly-oppressive atmosphere that meant…

"Yes – we've done it!" Harry let loose the breath he'd been holding. Both Hagrid and the Doctor were on the dais rings with him, in the Transporter Bay of the _Kelkarsis_. Their smiling, relieved faces looked back at him.

Glancing around anxiously, the Doctor raised a finger to his lips. He moved quickly and silently over to the cover of the control console for the teleport area. Looking back at the other two, he then gestured for them to join him.

"Ahh…" The Doctor winced, realising. Hagrid was having to stoop, in order to avoid hitting his head on the ceiling of the Control area.

" 'ow am I supposed to sneak 'round in 'ere! ?" Hagrid pointed out with whispered agitation, gesturing with his palms held outwards.

"Hide behind here, Hagrid!" Harry pointed to where he and the Doctor were crouching. The two of them then moved aside – so that the groundsman could conceal his large frame. Meanwhile, with the Sontaran blaster in his hand, Harry moved over to the sealed doorway that had been the exit he and the others had taken when the Sontarans had held them prisoner. The grey door automatically broke into two and slid apart sideways, to reveal the corridor beyond. Harry's eyes and ears sensed no presence – but surely…

He retreated back into the Control Room, to where the Doctor was standing by a raised platform shaped like a small table. There, bathed in some kind of blue forcefield, were the wands of Harry, Luna, and Professor Flitwick. And the sonic screwdriver…

Harry's heart leapt in his mouth. "They're still here! But what…?"

"The Sontarans are trying to analyse your weapons, Harry!" The Doctor smiled, as he looked up from a pair of screens set into the side of the platform. Then his expression changed. "So why are there no Sontarans present? Horrak's presumerably the only one on duty – whilst the others search for the Rutan. And she would not leave her post… Unless she was replenishing her energy levels."

"Gone for a bite to eat, 'as she?" Hagrid chuckled from his hiding place behind the largest control console.

The Doctor shook his head. "Sontarans feed themselves with energy burns. They step into a cubicle and hook up a tube to their only weak spot – the probic vent at the back of their suits. Then they spent some time there, before…"

He was interrupted by part of an adjacent wall sliding apart. Horrak was just unhooking herself from the machinery in the cabinet-sized alcove – then she saw Harry and the Doctor staring back at her. Surprise registered on her ugly face.

"…before they come out again!" Harry finished the Doctor's words for him. He levelled the blaster in his shaking hand…

With a roar, Technician Horrak launched herself at the wizard. Harry's shot just managed to glance the female Sontaran's shoulder, as she collided with him. Winded by the impact, Harry lost grip of the weapon – and it went flying across the Transporter Room. Meanwhile, Harry fell to the floor. Horrak raised her arm, ready to deliver a strike to the wizard's head with her fist.

"Surrender, intruders! You will not win against a fully-charged Sontaran!" Horrak rasped.

"Try takin' me on, then – domehead!" Hagrid bellowed, as he rose upon his feet, facing Horrak.

The technician tilted her head back to take in the groundsman's full height, doubting herself for a moment. Then she grinned. "Challenge accepted, human!" Cracking the bones of her three-digit hands, Horrak charged into Hagrid – and the two of them began wrestling and trading blows. The sight would have been bizarre to Harry – except that he knew from experience that the Sontarans were stronger than their short, stocky forms might have suggested.

"Hagrid!" Harry got to his feet – and spun round to the Doctor. "What are you doing?"

"Finding a way to help Hagrid!" he retorted, looking over the symbols next to the controls on the raised platform that held the pair of wands in the container field. "Right… If I press this button – then this… Yes! Ah-hah!"

The Doctor grinned as his tweaking of the controls shut off the forcefield around the wands and the sonic screwdriver. Grabbing his property back, he then handed the wands over to Harry, and nodded over to Horrak – who was just getting back up, after being thrown against a wall by Hagrid. Suddenly, the technician spied the fallen blaster laying close to her…

"No, you don't!" Harry cried out. He ran forward, to get in a clear shot with his own wand. _"Expelliarmus!"_

The blaster was struck by his deflecting spell – and it skidded along the metallic floor, just before Horrak could grasp it.

The Technician sharply turned round to face Harry. There was an expression of shock on her grey-brown skinned face. Then she heard Hagrid coming up from behind her. Her fist struck out – catching the half-giant's knee. He yelled and fell to one side.

"Hagrid!" For a moment, Harry forgot himself – and he rushed over to his pained friend. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Horrak scuttle over to reclaim her blaster. She squatted down – her back towards him. He saw the opening at the back of her neck ring…

_The probic vent!_

Harry hurriedly ran over to the technician, and jammed the tip of his wand into the vent. _"Incendrio!"_ he cried out.

"AAAGGGHHH! !" Horrak screamed as the magically-induced flames were ignited from within her very body. Eyes glazing over, she stiffened and flopped forwards – landing with a heavy 'thud' upon the floor of the Control Room.

Harry stared at his handiwork for a moment in stunned silence. Then he remembered to remove the wand from the deceased Sontaran's probic vent.

"Nice work!" the Doctor exclaimed as he dashed over to Harry's side. He patted the younger man's shoulder. "Well… Now that I've got my sonic screwdriver back, let's see if I can turn off that collapsing forcefield that's slowly ensnaring the school!"

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

In the Great Hall, most of the Sontarans had returned from their luckless search for the Rutan they had been seeking. One by one, the lieutenants were recharging themselves with an energy burn from the portable appliance that had been unpackaged from one of the boxes brought down from the _Kelkarsis_. Meanwhile, another package – consisting of a firm-looking grey metal box – was placed immediately outside the double doors of the Great Hall.

As the last of the lieutenants completed his energy burn, the troopers then formed an orderly queue to recharge themselves.

Whilst Harry, Luna, and the Doctor had been visiting the centaur village, Commander Skane had returned, via the _Kelkarsis_, to Hogwarts. She was now standing next to the head table, listening to Major Varn's review of the patrol reports that he had gathered.

That was when the attack began.

The Sontarans were abruptly startled by the abrupt appearance of an intruder. One who happened to enter the chamber via one of the stone walls - before zipping effortlessly through the air.

"Wh-?" Varn turned his squat form round. His pig-like eyes took in the wild-haired shade of Peeves the Poltergeist.

Peeves quickly got to work, swooping down and grabbing food bowls from the tables – before throwing them at the exposed heads of the ten Sontarans who were gathered in the chamber. Then, to the gasps and cheers from the prisoners, he grabbed a glass punch bowl and used it in both hands to whack at the nearest Sontaran, who had just raised his rifle at him.

"Urh!" Both the Sontaran and his weapon fell to the floor.

"Troopers Greel, Kroll, and Trask – open fire on that…thing! All other Sontarans - Watch the prisoners!" Skane barked.

"Yes, commander!" the Sontarans replied – almost simultaneously. The energy burn recharger was soon forgotten, as Greel, Kroll, and Trask fired their energy rifles at Peeves. All three, however, failed to strike the laughing spectre as he darted around the Great Hall with abandon. Then he levitated one of the orange spheres – the portable heating for the room – and sent it spinning, like a bowling ball, into the scarred Major Varn. He yelled as the sphere began to split with the impact and the heating element inside caused his arm to catch fire. Drawing a pen-shaped device from his belt, Varn pressed the top and released a cold spray that extinguished the flames.

Then Skane managed to draw her own blaster. Timing her attack carefully, she hit Peeves with her first shot – only for the ray to pass through the ghost and clip the edge of one of the pillars at the side of the Great Hall, instead.

"_WHAT! ?"_ Skane bellowed her incomprehension.

"Ya-ha-hah! Can't touch me!" Peeves performed a somersault in mid-air. "But I can hurt you!"

The watching prisoners had either all rose to their feet, or were now hiding underneath the few tables that were still upright. Several of them – including Professors Flitwick, Lupin, and Slughorn, glanced towards the wands heaped on the head table. But there were still a couple of helmeted Sontarans carefully keeping watch on both Peeves and their unarmed captives. The raised energy rifles in their arms held the invite of sudden death.

Then the four house ghosts floated into the Great Hall – from both the walls and the stone floor – startling the Sontarans even further.

"Sontarans! Heed this challenge! If you want what you have come for, you will have to get past us!" The Bloody Baron pointed his rapier towards the aliens.

"What species of creature are you?" Skane sneered, as she turned round to face the transparent cavalier.

"That matters not. We understand you are looking for the Rutan… It awaits you in the courtyard. It is yours – if you can destroy us too, foolish beings!" the Grey Lady taunted Skane. The Ravenclaw ghost nodded at her spectral companions who were wheeling around the Great Hall – then, as one, they all turned and glided at speed towards the closed double doors, passing through it as if it wasn't there.

Peeves blew a raspberry at the Sontarans – then disappeared after the house ghosts.

There was a brief moment of stunned silence amongst the gathered Sontarans. Then Varn gave a roar, as he jabbed his fingers at five of his compatriots, who were hurriedly fixing their helmets back on.

"All of you - come with me! To battle!"

With the buzz of the energy burn igniting their passion, the selected troopers responded with a battle cry and surged towards the courtyard, with the unmasked Varn leading the way.

Skane was about to run after them – the thrill of the fighting to come sending her spirits soaring with anticipation. Then caution tugged at her zeal, and made her halt.

_Why would the Rutan send such…beings…to challenge us…?_

She turned on the spot, to address the remaining three troopers.

"Greel, Kroll, and Trask – put on your helmets, and guard the prisoners carefully! Kill them if necessary!"

"Yes – commander!" As one, the three troopers saluted, and then headed over to the table where they had left their helmets during their energy burn. The prisoners, meanwhile, watched the Sontarans with interest – but remained still. Unwilling to provoke their captors in any way.

Skane turned towards her own helmet – then hesitated. Deciding to leave her helmet behind, as her statement of conquest, she swept her narrowed eyes across the chamber at the humans and the…half-goblin… Then she stormed off out of the Great Hall, to join Varn and the attack squad in the courtyard outside.

Silence fell in the hall. The prisoners looked at each other. Some shuffled their feet. Others glanced meaningfully at the head table with the pile of confiscated wands, now guarded by the trio of armed Sontarans left.

Even with his human nose, Remus Lupin could smell the anxiety in the room subtly take on the essence of hope. In recent years - thanks to Tonks - he had decided to embrace and explore his werewolf nature, instead of trying to repress it. His careful work had resulted in him becoming the most developed and skilled werewolf of his pack, as well as being its alpha.

"Hullo? This is Luna Potter calling captive wizards and witches…! Is there anyone there?"

Lupin looked up from his seat in the Great Hall, in surprise. The airy voice was close by and whispering. And just as well – for two of the three Sontaran sentries held their guard at the head table, some yards away. Whilst the third was striding towards the main doors, to hold his post there.

No one else had yet heard the voice.

_I've probably got the best pair of ears here, thanks to my…nature,_ he mentally noted.

Carefully, Lupin rose and slowly walked towards the fire. On the way, he nudged Professor Slughorn – who was sat at another table, fanning his round face with a large napkin.

"Get up, and stand next to me at the fireplace – so that the Sontarans can't see me directly," he instructed the Potions teacher.

"Wh-? What's going on…?" Horace Slughorn fell silent, as he saw Lupin raise a finger to his lips. "Oh! Oh, I see… Very well."

The two of them made for the fireplace. Slughorn then heard the little voice – and managed to prevent himself from making an involuntary exclamation. Using his bulky frame to shield the Werewolf Minister from sight, Slughorn then motioned the alert and watchful Professor Flitwick over. A moment later, Headmaster and Potions Master started making small talk about their hopes for the festive season and the new year – whilst Remus Lupin got to work.

He extended his hands, as if to keep warm – then he squatted down, and placed his face close to the image of Luna which had formed in the flames flickering over the burning logs.

He raised a finger to his lips, and tried to keep himself calm and in control. So Luna was safe! Now, perhaps the situation could be changed. If they played their cards right.

In Hagrid's hut, Luna saw the face of her pack leader form in the flames of the fire at her end. She read his expression, and nodded.

"All but three of the Sontarans have just headed for the courtyard, to fight the Rutan they are hunting…," Lupin whispered to her. "The ghosts came and told them that was where the thing was. I think it's a diversion. Your work, Luna?"

Luna shook her head. "It must be a trap, devised by someone still in the school… What about Ron and Hermione? Are they safe?"

"I think so. My werewolf link with Ron tells me he is…" Lupin frowned. "Ron is actually very close!" He raised his head and looked around the hall, but there was no sign of him.

The puzzlement on his face gave way to a smile, as he caught a glimpse of somebody's heels walking by – heading slowly along the hall from the ajar double doors and making their way towards the staff table. However, there was nothing visible of the rest of the body – only the brief image of a pair of heels, complete with yellow spurs…

Then all hell broke loose.

With a couple of loud _'pops',_ Winky and Corper apparated - right over the helmets of troopers Greel and Kroll. The House Elves dug their little hands into the eye sockets of the Sontaran helmets – and clung on tight.

"Gotcha!" Corper shrieked triumphantly.

Greel gave a startled cry. "Wh-! ? My vision is impaired!"

"_I cannot see!"_ Kroll rasped. He shook himself from side to side.

At the other end of the Great Hall, Trask turned round swiftly and aimed his energy rifle. "Hold still, Sontarans!" he warned them.

"Time to move!" Winky yelled. And with that, she and Corper disapparated with another couple of _'pops'. _Trask's energy beam just missed Winky – and instead struck the wall behind Kroll. The blast of exploding fragments and stone dust sent the Sontaran trooper flying forwards.

Then Winky re-appeared amongst the prisoners behind Trask. With a click of her fingers, the trooper's helmet was turned on its axis – before levitating into the air above him.

The unmasked Sontaran looked up in disbelief at his floating headgear – then he readied his weapon in both hands and panned round the faces of the prisoners to identify his assailant. "Face me – coward!" he bellowed.

Hiding behind Professor Sprout's leg, Winky snapped her fingers again – and the levitated helmet zipped down, to strike Trask's bald head, before falling to the floor. He vented his fury with a battle cry, and aimed his weapon at the nearest captive – the terrified-looking Lorna Broomhead.

"Reveal yourself, attacker. Or this female dies!"

Meanwhile, Corper had appeared again – hiding underneath the staff table. With a click of his own fingers, Kroll's energy rifle began to levitate. The trooper found himself exerting effort to hold onto his weapon, as it pointed to the roof – as if drawn by some huge, unseen magnet. Trask's energy rifle was now behaving exactly the same way.

"_Now!"_

Ron Weasley gave his battle cry, as he cast off Harry's invisibility cloak – revealing himself and the blaster-armed Rose Zeller. Ron's fired spell saw Greel enveloped by chains materialising from thin air, and pulling him sharply against the nearest wall. He raised the energy rifle he still held in his hands – trying to pull it free from the chains binding both it and him. He found himself having difficulty in doing so.

"Yaaaggghhh!" he bellowed.

At the same time, Rose ran hurriedly to the back of Kroll – and fired the blaster straight into his probic vent. He screamed - then collapsed with a dying gurgle.

"Ron! Rose! Watch out!"

The words were barely out of Professor Sprout's mouth, when Trask – who had dropped his energy rifle, instead drew out a throwing dagger and sent it spinning towards the rescuers. Ron quickly dived aside – slamming a stunned Rose down with him to the floor.

The point of the thrown blade impaled itself into the edge of the staff table.

"Get 'im!" Professor Faraday urged the captives next to him, in his piping voice. Although still recovering from his earlier ordeal, the Charms teacher got up and rushed towards the now-weaponless trooper Trask. Four other prisoners – including Lorna Broomhead - then used their combined strength to send Trask falling to the floor, face-down. Even then, he was difficult to hold down – until Professor Slughorn decided to hurry over and sit down on the Sontaran's back.

"Release me, earthlings!" he snarled.

"Not a chance, spud head!" Professor Sprout joined Faraday, Slughorn, Lorna, and the other prisoners who were ensuring that Trask could not even activate his wrist communicator. Close by, the remaining captives were rushing over to the staff table and gathering back their confiscated wands. Those that belonged to Trask's captors were returned to their owners, also.

"Guard the doors!" Professor Flitwick urged some of the now-armed staff and ex-pupils. "Somebody – watch over that chained-up Sontaran!"

"Thanks, Winky! Thanks, Corper!" Ron declared to the House Elves, who had now emerged from hiding. "Now – can you help free your mates in the kitchen? After that, you can help the ghosts and Clifford's team to distract the Sontarans in the courtyard. We need to keep those fiends pinned down, whilst the rest of us escape!"

"Yes, indeed – Mister Weasley! We's can be doing that." Winky turned to Corper. "Corper – you's can go to the courtyard right now! Winky will help the other House Elves."

"Very good, Miss Winky." Corper gave a small bow – then disappeared with a 'pop!'. Then Winky disapparated, also.

Next, Ron quickly gathered the Marauder's Map. He then dashed over to Lupin, who was still at the fireplace, talking to the image of Luna's head in the flames.

"Who's that coming…? Oh! Hi, Ron. You've overcome the Sontarans, then?"

"Just the three who were left in the Great Hall, Luna!" Ron answered. "The rest of them should be busy with Clifford and the rest of my distraction volunteers, in the courtyard!"

"Good work, Ron. And well done too… Miss Zeller isn't it? And thank you, House Elves." Lupin nodded to the gathered rescuers. "Now, what's happening with you, Luna? Is Harry and that Doctor alright?"

"Yes, Remus! And we found Hagrid. The _real _Hagrid! He's still alive. He and Harry, and the Doctor, are presently on the Sontarans' spaceship. The Doctor was going to see if he could take down the forcefield around the school…" Luna quickly filled them in. "But you all need to be aware – there's _two _Rutans in the school! One has taken the form of Fang…"

"What…?" Ron cut her off. "But… I left Fang with Hermione and Lavender! 'Mione wasn't feeling well, all of a sudden. She was going to head for our set of rooms!"

Luna sucked in her breath. "Is the fireplace there still lit?"

"Yes! We left it burning..."

"The Marauder's Map, Ron!" Lupin exclaimed.

"Oh yeah. Right here…"

Lupin grabbed it, and tapped the parchment with the tip of his returned wand. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good!" he breathed.

The activated map then folded itself out, of its own accord. On his hands and knees, Lupin and Ron – now joined by Rose - quickly ran their eyes over the detailed map of the school.

"Yes! Hermione and Lavender are in our set of rooms, Luna! And… And there's a Rutan with them…!"

"Oh! I'll warn the girls right now! Excuse me…" And with that, Luna's face disappeared from the fireplace. The flames returned to their normal colour.

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

Inside the suite of rooms that belonged to Mr and Mrs Weasley, Hermione remained kneeling down, and leaned over the toilet seat until the nausea in her stomach had finally faded away. Then, heading into the adjacent bathroom, she washed her hands – before fingering through the boxes in the cabinet. Pulling out the bottle she wanted, Hermione poured the orange liquid into the plastic cap that had been provided inside the box cover.

The pick-me-up tonic was just sliding down her foodpipe, when Lavender entered the bathroom.

Hermione sharply turned round. "Lavender! Couldn't you wait in the lounge, until I had finished?"

"Sorry! Just… I just wanted to make sure you were all right, Hermione."

"Well, I'm… I'm okay now. I don't know what the problem was, Lavender. I started to feel queasy during our gathering in the Room of Requirement," Hermione admitted. "Look – I'm grateful that you volunteered to stay with me and Fang, whilst the rest of the gang and the ghosts got to work. But we had better join them…"

Lavender tilted her face down. Her expression was sad as she suddenly muttered, "I'm glad that you and Ron are happy together, Hermione."

"Er… Come again?"

"Ever though we're still at Hogwarts, working as staff members – we hardly speak. And that's because I still resent the fact that you and Ron are married – and I've got nobody to call my own." Lavender sniffed. "But despite that, it's good you pair are still together. You're clearly meant to be – and it's time I accepted that, and got rid of my green-eyed monster."

Hermione was speechless for a long moment. Her jaw hung open, but nothing was coming out at first.

"Um… Th-thank you, Lavender," she managed to say. "I…, erm. I hope you find the right man for you, too, before long! Ernie's not your type, then?"

"Ernie…? I was just using him as my alibi, when I found out I had the Ace of Spades card in the Murder Game. Ernie was by himself at the party, like me. So…" Lavender shrugged her shoulders, and then gave a small smile. "I think he still has feelings for Hannah, despite their recent argument. But maybe, he and I could…"

She was interrupted by the sound of Fang snarling in the lounge. There was another noise, too. The log fireplace – which the Weasleys had been left earlier to burn low – had just flared up.

"Hullo! Are you there, Hermione? Lavender?" an airy voice called out over the crackling of the flames.

"Who…?" Lavender spun her head round towards the direction of the lounge.

"Luna!" Hermione gasped.

Both witches ran towards the lounge, and knelt down before the fire. An image of Luna's head was imposed on the brightly-coloured flames – her face etched with agitation, and…. Was it terror, that Hermione could read on her friend's features…?

Meanwhile, Fang had backed away from the fireplace. But he was still snarling.

"Shut up, Fang!" Lavender managed to silence him with her sharp tone.

"Luna – are you, Harry, and the Doctor all right? Have you all escaped from the Sontarans? What's going on?"

"Hermione! Lavender! I'm using the school's private fireplace network from Hagrid's Hut. I've spoken to Professor Lupin… The people in the Great Hall are reclaiming their wands – and the Sontarans are fighting Clifford and the others in the courtyard, but…"

"We'll be on our way to them, then! What about Harry and the Doctor? Are they with you?"

"Not right now…" Luna raised her voice. "Hermione – Remus and Ron have activated the Marauder's Map. You pair are in danger! There's two Rutans in the school. They're the shapeshifters the Sontarans are after!"

"_Two…?"_ Lavender sucked in her breath.

"Yes – and one's with you right now! Is it still in the form of Fang…?" Luna's wide, silver-grey eyes bored into those of the two other witches.

"Er…" Hermione felt a hard lump quickly form in her throat. Slowly, she moved her head slightly to her right, so that she could keep Hagrid's boarhound in the corner of her vision.

Only now Fang was glowing green. And changing shape…

Lavender swung round – and screamed. Her hands automatically shot up to her wan face.

"That's _not_ Fang!" she exclaimed.

"Hermione! Lavender! Hit it with a fire spell…" Luna was rushing to get her words out. "The Doctor told us…"

There was no time. 'Fang' was now a green-white, jellyfish-like monstrosity – about as big as the armchairs around it. A single green eye stared unblinkingly at them. Rising up on its many tendrils, the Rutan moved slowly towards the pair. Its translucent body crackled with bio-electric impulses…

Lavender was quicker then Hermione in pulling out her wand. "Keep back! _Expulso!"_ she shrieked, as she aimed towards the dead centre of the horror.

The spell blast struck the advancing Rutan – sending it slamming backwards into the nearest wall. There was a few seconds of frenzied crackling – then the effects of the spell faded away, and the alien rose once more from the floor.

"We thank you, human," a warbling, unearthly voice declared. "Now we are stronger!"

"What! ?" Lavender's face turned deathly pale. "That spell should have blown it apart!"

"It's absorbed the magic!" Hermione reached out with her hand and pulled the other witch towards the nearest exit – the doorway that led to the kitchen area. As she passed through the doorway, Hermione glanced back and saw the tendrils lash out for them…

Her wand arm shot up.

"_Protego!"_ she yelled out.

Lavender echoed her cry. _"Prote-!"_

There was a bright flash of light, a wave of stabbing pain, a piercing scream, and the sensation of falling – as Hermione blacked out…

**END OF EPISODE TWO**

Author's Note:

Greel gave a startled cry. "Wh-! ? My vision is impaired!"

"_I cannot see!"_ Kroll rasped. (My little joke – a reference to what Daleks say when they have their eyestalks damaged)

Please keep the reviews coming. And please share your suspicions as to who the other Rutan is disguised as! It won't be long before that secret becomes known. If you've been watching and listening to the characters' actions and words (and picked up on the Doctor's advice at the end of Chapter 3), you hopefully have the right idea…


	9. Chapter 9

**EPISODE THREE**

**Chapter Nine:**

**Crossfire **

The Doctor and Harry fell backwards onto the floor, as the panel underneath the control console sparked.

"Ouch!" The Doctor jumped back up and sucked his sore fingers. "Are you all right, Harry?"

"Yes – it was only you who knocked me over!" Harry grumbled, getting to his feet.

Hagrid, was who kneeling down in front of the bank of scanners, close by, looked across at the others. "Well, tha' made no difference! Tha'…forcefield's still there!"

"I can't get to the main drive! The access panel is security locked, and protected by electric discharges – such as the one I just got!" the Doctor grumbled. "And, as we have just found out, even with the sonic screwdriver, I can't shut down the collapsing forcefield. So it's back to plan A. We evacuate the school!"

"It was worth a try, Doctor," Harry pointed out. "So – are you going to stay here, whilst Hagrid and I go down to the school to get everyone out? Hopefully, Luna will soon be with us, too."

"You'll need me down there, to get any stragglers into the TARDIS," the Doctor pointed out. "The old girl won't be harmed by the collapsing forcefield – and she'll protect me and any of you lot inside with me…"

"Jus' wait a mo'!" Hagrid cleared his throat for attention. "Tha' forcefield… It's closing in from all around, and from above, ain't it?"

"That's right – and I reckon it'll continue to do so, until it reaches its projection source – this ship. Now, looking at this panel's readings – there appears to be a safety cut-out. So the collapsing energy barrier will disperse… Oh, maybe when it closes in a few meters away from the _Kelkarsis…_"

Harry saw Hagrid's eyes narrow in thought. "Hold on…," Harry pondered. "From all around and above… What about below? How far _down_ does this forcefield dig into the ground, Doctor?" he asked.

The Doctor rubbed a thumb across his chin, as he thought over the answer. "It's a powerful energy screen – but it shouldn't be able to pass through hard soil that far underground. To answer the question – not more than a few metres of topsoil, I'd say."

Hagrid's face perked up. "Right! Then I've a suggestion tur make."

"What have you in mind, Hagrid?" Harry perked up.

"There's an old well shaft below the dungeons, 'arry. It goes down to the level o' the lake. Filch an' me could get some of thur prisoners down thur, with a spell to cushion thur fall – before tha' forcefield gets too close for comfort!"

"Yes! Time it right, and the energy barrier will cut across the top of the shaft _after_ you get down to the bottom of the shaft. Then you'll be on the _outside_ of the forcefield! Good thinking, you two!" The Doctor patted Hagrid's arm – being as he was unable to reach his shoulder.

Harry suddenly felt a familiar twitch within him. Sensing that it was Luna's concentration on the psychic werewolf bond between them, he quickly ran his eyes over the scanners close by. He found her in the background of one of the screens, standing outside Hagrid's hut and waving to the ship.

"Luna's ready to come on board!" he announced to the Doctor.

"Okay, Harry. You've still got that teleport device on your wrist. So if you just pop over to the teleport pad over there, I'll use the controls to send you down – and…"

"…and if I hold onto Luna, you can bring us back up," Harry concluded. "Let's do it! I'll give Luna her wand, whilst I'm down there."

A minute later, Mrs Potter was on board the _Kelkarsis_ – along with the returned Harry. In her agitation, Luna told him, Hagrid, and the Doctor about her magical fireplace conversation with Hermione and Lavender – and how it was abruptly cut off, with the two witches inside the Weasleys' living quarters disappearing from her sight.

Harry sucked in his breath. "No time to waste, then! We need to save Hermione and Lavender…!"

"Harry, wait!" Luna placed a gloved hand on his shoulder. "Professor Lupin and Ron have the Marauder's Map, in the Great Hall. The prisoners there are free again! And I believe there's House Elves in the hall! They can get to Hermione and Lavender quicker than us!"

"She's got a point, Harry. I need to work on how to alter the teleport location bearing…," the Doctor muttered. "Give me another couple of minutes on that…"

Harry took a deep breath, as he mentally urged himself not to panic. He desperately hoped Hermione was all right – but if he just rushed straight into danger…"Right!" he responded. "Best to get to the Great Hall, instead. We'll use the map to see if Hermione's… Wait! Luna! Can you stay here? Hagrid and the Doctor are going to help evacuate the school…"

Luna gave a nod. "I just need to know how to operate the teleport controls for now, right?"

"That's right, Luna. Now watch carefully…," the Doctor began, as he ran his hands over the controls. "One set of the teleport bearings are still locked onto the Great Hall, according to this screen… Harry and Hagrid – get ready!"

The pair nodded and got onto the teleport pads.

Seconds later, the Doctor operated a few buttons and switches, watched over by the attentive Luna. Wearing their teleport devices, the forms of Harry and Hagrid shimmered and disappeared from the pads.

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

In the kitchen of Hogwarts, there was gathering excitement. With most of the Sontarans now gathered in the courtyard at the school's main entrance, only one trooper had been left to guard the House Elves, who were still in a despondent, tearful state – having learnt of the death of Poddy. A death to add to the elves who had been brutally put down in the kitchens, after the earlier commotion there.

The reappearance of Winky, and her galvanising rally, however, soon changed the state of depression and fear into another surge of defiance and action.

Trooper Fyce first became aware of trouble, when his energy rifle began levitating upright – seemly by itself. Moments later, his helmet also unscrewed itself and drifted up into the air.

And whilst distracted, a co-ordinated surge of angry elves came at him from three sides, armed once more with pots and pans, and magic-bearing fingers…

A minute or so later, Fyce found himself separated from his energy rifle – and pinned to the floor underneath the weight of an iron cauldron which was now being loaded with various ingredients from the pantry. The eyes of the Sontaran had already been pelted with eggs – and his head was throbbing, thanks to being wacked by his own helmet.

The elves jumped down to the floor to survey their handiwork. Their cheers carried above the angry cries of the slumped trooper.

"Winky is pleased, good House Elves. Now - to the courtyard! Let's help the wizards and witches get rid of the potato-headed brutes!" she cried out.

"Yes! Yes!"

"Let's go!"

The House Elves disapparated one-by-one – leaving Fyce pounding a fist against the floor, as he looked up and saw his energy rifle start to blacken and slowly melt in the open fire before him.

Later on, when the movement of the forcefield caused it to materialise in the kitchen, he had time to scream – but not escape – before the barrier reduced him to ashes…

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

The courtyard was a scene of chaos by the time Commander Skane arrived. She took cover behind one of the Romanesque pillars close to the main doors that led outside, as she surveyed the fighting.

Major Varn and the Sontaran troopers were near-constantly being distracted by the forms of the Bloody Baron, the Fat Friar, Helena Ravenclaw, and Sir Nick, as the house ghosts whizzed past their individually-designated targets. Meanwhile, the House Elf Winky had returned from the kitchens, along with her fellow servants. Collectively, they were now copying Corper's antics - appearing and disappearing from place to place, and whacking the Sontarans with the saucepans that they were carrying. And again, they used their brand of magic to levitate the Sontarans' weapons – forcing the invaders to cling onto their guns and pull them back down from their raised positions.

Peeves the Poltergeist was busy too. Having paid a quick visit to the school's gym, he had come armed – and was enjoying himself immensely, as he slammed a barbell into the back of a passing Sontaran's knee, making the trooper cry out painfully, as he staggered and collapsed. Then he used his poltergeist nature to redirect the gushing fountain at any Sontaran who got close to it.

The second barbell, in his other hand, was thrown at another trooper – who had just lost his helmet to the levitation tricks of the House Elves. Struck on his domed head, the latest of Peeves' victims gave a croak and slumped to the courtyard with a sudden headache.

The ghosts had also brought along a pair of the school's gargoyles, who had taken it in turns to swoop down and attack the Sontarans. One of them managed to seize one of the Lieutenants in its legs – before flying up high, and releasing the wailing Sontaran. The officer bounced off the turret of Gryffindor Tower – before crashing down into another courtyard, his body broken.

However, upon the next attack, Major Varn successfully shot down the gargoyle with an energy rifle. The stone guardian shrieked as one of its pounding wings was shattered. It fell to the ground, and broke up.

And amidst all this, Clifford Chagoja, Ernie Macmillan, Edgar Mower, and the Patil twins were hiding behind the pillars of the courtyard enclosure – both on the ground level, and the first-floor walkway – as they took more deadly shots at the distracted aliens. Either using their wands – or using the other weapons at their disposal. Edgar still had possession of the energy rifle. And Ernie, in his Green Arrow costume, had managed to use the bow and arrows in his quiver to strike down one of the Sontarans – hitting him in the probic vent, when his attention was fixed upon clawing back his levitated guns. Crying out a death gurgle, the trooper had collapsed upon the concrete of the enclosed courtyard.

Bereft of a working wand, Oliver Wood had scuttled from his ground-level cover and nipped across to an injured trooper whom Edgar had shot down. Seizing the alien's blaster, Wood then dived aside to avoid the rifle fire of another of the troopers - before wounding him with a returned burst from the blaster. The Sontaran cried out, as his hip was struck – and he was sent spinning round upon the edge of the fountain, before he tripped and fell in, creating a mighty 'splash'. The trooper struggled to get himself out.

Snatching another energy rifle from the ambushed trooper, Skane timed her attack as the remaining gargoyle flew over the courtyard. Then she fired. The shot blasted the outstretched wing of the creature – and it spun out of control towards the shimmering energy barrier nearly. Screaming, the gargoyle was atomised.

Skane ran her eyes across the courtyard again – taking in the nature of the remaining fighters, who never stayed in one place for too long. There was another factor of importance, too…

"WHERE is the Rutan?" she hissed.

Her officer's blaster at the ready, Skane moved forwards to cut down the human resistance. _They_, at least, could die – the transparent entities continued to be immune to Sontaran weapons…

"Now, where do you think you are going, young…whatever you are?"

Skane halted upon seeing the figure of an old man, dressed in old-fashioned clothes, hands gripped around the lapels of his jacket. He had seemly just walked out of one of the pillars, and had planted himself right before her. And like the figures flying around the courtyard, he too was apparently transparent.

"Get out of my way!" Skane spat at him.

The ghost shook his head and tutted. "Don't speak to me like that! I am Cuthbert Binns, teacher of History at this fine school. And you, I believe, are an intruder! Well – since you are here, I might as well tell you all about the goblin rebellions, which first began in the year…"

Skane screamed out her rage, as she impotently fired her blaster at Professor Binns. Her swinging arm also failed to remove the droning ghost, who launched into his ambling lecture.

At that point, the owls – who had fled from the Owlery upon the intusion of the energy barrier into their abode – flew over the courtyard in their panic to find a way past the deadly forcefield. One got too close to the northern edge of the shimmering screen – and it screeched upon hitting the barrier. There was a flash, and a shower of ash fell from the impact point, to land at the outmost edge of the courtyard – where the constricting forcefield had now reached.

Clifford and Padma gasped as they turned away from the battle going on before them, alerted by the owl's death cry.

Padma quickly stopped Winky, as the tea-cosy wearing elf ran past her.

"Winky, stop! The owls – they are going to get themselves killed…! Can you lot do anything for them? That energy barrier is all around the school!"

"And it's closing in!" Clifford ruefully added.

Winky stopped and looked up at the milling owls. Her eyes widened. Then she gave a little jump of excitement.

"Miss…"

"…Patil," Padma answered.

"Miss Patil! Winky thinks she has a good plan. We House Elves can whistle to the owls. Then we's can be running to the well in the school, and hide there – until the horrible magic has passed by!"

"Great! Then get to it!" Padma urged the little servant.

Winky inserted the forefinger of both hands into her mouth and gave a loud whistle. As one, the House Elves stopped what they were doing – then ran over to Winky, who quickly held a team conference with them. Moments later, the elves all put their hands to their mouths, and emitted another, simultaneous whistle. The owls flying around the school responded, and flung down to their outstretched arms of the servants.

Clifford and the other wizards and witches around the courtyard saw the no-longer distracted Sontarans aim their weapons on the elves…

"Renew the attack!" Clifford urged his team.

"Sontarans - take cover!" Major Varn shouted at the now mostly-unmasked troopers.

Various blast spells resounded through the torch-lit courtyard, sending the Sontarans flying from their feet. At the same time, some of the firepower of the intruding aliens struck the pillars of the first floor landing, where some of the magic users were hiding. At the worst points of damage, rubble began to crash down – narrowly missing Ernie, as well as Clifford and Padma.

Whilst the elves all ran back into the main building of the school, in order to head for the well – Peeves and the ghosts continued their distraction ploys against the Sontarans, allowing Clifford, Padma, Parvati, Ernie, Wood, and Edgar to carry on firing blasting spells against the aliens. They had all learnt by now that the Sontarans were immune to stunners – and _Petrificus Totalus_ spells did not seem to penetrate their armour either.

Padma let off yet another _Confringo_ blast against a trooper down below – then took cover behind the nearest standing pillar on the first-level walkway she and Clifford were huddled on. Panting for breath, she began to feel her wolf senses stir – warning her of further danger…

"Clifford – that destructive barrier… It's closing in on us!" she shrieked, pointing along the walkway with her wand.

He spun round, eyes widening. The energy barrier had indeed reached the north-west corner of the walkway, and it was now cutting across the west stretch where they were. The arc of the forcefield continued across the courtyard, slowly pushing towards the centre of the open space below, towards the gushing fountain – and bisecting the east walkway also…

"Time to get back inside, methinks!" Clifford nodded to Padma. They got up, and turned to head for the staircase that would take them back down to the ground level of the courtyard – only to see the unhelmeted Major Varn, his scarred and bleeding face confronting them from out of the darkness, as he climbed the steps to the walkway.

Varn fired – and the beam struck Clifford, as he twisted round and pushed Padma aside. The ex-Hufflepuff pupil yelled loudly as his wand was sent spinning from his grasp. He fell to his knees.

"Clifford!" In her shock, Padma dropped her own wand, and grasped her boyfriend's arm.

"It's…okay, Padma! His shot – _ouch!_ – just caught my ha-hand…"

"You have wasted our time with your defiance and distractions, younglings!" he snarled at the couple, before raising his blaster at them for the killing blasts. "Now you shall pay the price."

A loud snarl came out of the darkness from behind him, from the south-west corner of the walkway. Startled, Varn spun round – then cried out as the clawed swipe sent him flying backwards. In his stumble, Skane's second-in-command lost grip of his blaster, and it bounced across the panelled walkway, passed through the gap below the railings, and dropped – clattering - in the courtyard beneath them.

The black-furred wolf-woman that was Parvati Patil then stepped forward, and spat at Varn as he pulled himself back up, his dumbfounded gaze fixed on the hybrid werewolf before him.

"Pad-ma… Clif-ford… Gett klear…" Parvati growled.

Needing no further prompting, Padma quickly grabbed her dropped wand – then seized Clifford's arm, and dived to one side. The couple squeezed themselves against the wall.

"Ha! You seek solo combat with me?" Varn gave a leering smile, and cracked his knuckles as he took up a stance similar to a wrestler.

Parvati glared at the Sontaran - then dropped upon her front paws.

In the next instant, she charged straight at him.

As they made contact, Varn grabbed hold of Parvati's ears with both of his hands – preventing her fangs from tearing into his face. However, his strength was not enough to halt the wolf-woman's charge…

The major gave a yell of astonishment as he was forced northwards along the walkway, his protesting heels dragging along the concrete.

As the fighters rushed past - Clifford and Padma rolled out from their cover, and took in the sight before them with wide eyes…

"The barrier…!" Padma screamed. "Parvati – don't…!"

But Parvati skidded to a halt, timing her attack just right. With Varn stuck in-between the charging werewolf and the forcefield, the Major screamed as he felt the energy barrier slice first into the back of his cranium – then his brain…

By the time Clifford and Padma ran over to join Parvati, she had managed to prise the Sontaran's half-headless body off from her. They then quickly retreated – leaving the advancing forcefield to turn the rest of the deceased Varn into smoking ash.

Close by, Ernie Macmillan took a deep breath, and peered out again from his cover. He fired yet another _Reducto_ blast to send the apparent leader of the Sontarans flying off her feet. Then his attention was diverted by the sudden appearance of Lavender Brown, who had just walked out from the main school and approached the nearest pair of Sontaran troopers. The costume-clad witch had a strange pronounced smile on her face – and she didn't seem to baring her wand...

"Lavender! Watch out!" he cried out to her.

Alerted, the Sontarans turned and raised their guns at the young witch.

In the next instant, Lavender's form blurred. The white blaze gave way to a glowing green monstrosity, about three times the size of a man. A single green eye glared hatefully at the troopers.

Before they could fire, a tendril lashed out at the nearest unmasked Sontaran, striking at his exposed face. A flash of light later, and the electrocuted soldier was sent flying across the courtyard.

"_The Rutan!"_ one of the remaining Sontaran Lieutenants cried out, rallying his brethren.

Using the nearby pillars to propel itself onwards, the Rutan landed amidst the last pair of its enemies and unleashed an electrical storm of crackling lightning streaks in every direction.

The Sontarans screamed in agony, as the smell of scorched alien armour and flesh filled the courtyard.

From her slumped position on the ground, Commander Skane reached out for her dropped blaster as she crawled across the debris of fallen masonry pieces. Then, straightening up, she opened fire – striking the moving Rutan in the side as it went about its gruesome business…

Screeching, the creature was sent flying backwards into one of the courtyard walls by Skane's multiple shots, landing close to Ernie Macmillan. There was a last outburst of electricity from the Rutan – and Ernie screamed as his elbow received a slight shock, causing him to drop his wand. He panicked and dived aside – keen to avoid the fate of the dead and dying Sontarans around him.

Scenting victory, Skane got to her feet and hurried across the courtyard – to finish off the wounded, but still-stirring Rutan. Then she halted, seeing Ernie. Who was on the ground, having just managed picked up his dropped wand after his roll.

"You will pay the price for firing upon a Sontaran officer!" she snarled.

Ernie took a look at the rage upon Skane's face. Then he snapped his undamaged arm up, and fired his wand once again.

"_Reducto!"_ he cried out.

Skane gave a yell of fury, as the ground at her feet exploded, causing her to fly into the air. The Sontaran squad leader slammed into the stone centrepiece of the courtyard fountain, striking her head in the process. Then she flopped down into the basin below, causing the water to splash over onto the concrete of the yard.

When Ernie got his breath back, Skane was floating face-up in the basin, eyes closed.

In the near distance, Ernie could see Clifford, Padma, and the wolf-woman that was Parvati. They were sprinting for the doors that led to the main school.

"Come on, Ernie! Let's get out of here!" Clifford yelled across to him.

And next to him, the Rutan was getting back upon its tendrils once more…

"Right behind you!" he answered.

Ernie sprinted after them, avoiding the Rutan's lashing tendrils…

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

Hermione Weasley groaned as she gradually came to. The pounding in her head slowly dispersed, along with her grogginess – and the image of her kitchen area became visible once more with her sharpening vision.

Rubbing her head as she slowly pulled herself halfway up, Hermione leant against the nearest wall, and looked around for her dropped wand.

Her breath caught in her throat. Her beloved wand was scattered on the lino – half-charred into a cinder…

_That tendril…! An electrical charge… It caught my wand, just as I projected the spell… _Hermione's nostrils flared. With her senses returning, she could clearly smell blood. Human blood.

She sharply turned round. Her mouth formed an 'O' shape – but nothing came out. Hermione felt herself begin to tremble.

The Persian lounge carpet – the one that she and Ron had ordered when they became a live-in couple – was now soaked with crimson. Before her lay the cause. Lavender Brown was sprawled across the lounge floor like a broken doll – her clothes and flesh baring surgical-like cuts that were still wet, and even more colourful than her name. The young witch's eyes were wide and staring at the ceiling – her face white, her lips drawn back in a fixed mask of agony.

Lavender had indeed become the Scarlet Witch…

Shaking, Hermione forced herself to lean down next to the other witch's face. There was no sensation of breath, no motion of Lavender's chest, no twitch of her nostrils…

The hideous monstrosity that had attacked them, however, was thankfully gone.

Hermione gasped. With a trembling hand, she closed Lavender's eyes – then she sharply drew herself back. Her black leather trousers that formed part of her Batgirl costume were already dripping with the spilt blood. And close by, Lavender's wand had also taken a hit from the electrical discharge. It lay on the floor, half-burnt, in its owner's blood.

Taking a wide berth around the body, she bolted for the main door. Slamming it to behind her, Hermione collapsed upon her knees in the corridor outside. Tears streamed from her eyes and ran over her latex eye mask. She pulled it off, and flung it aside, as she fought to compose herself.

_She's…dead! Just as she was making up with me – Lavender got… She got _killed_ by that…thing! Then it…cut her up! That could've been me!_

_And I'm alive…because of my shield spell. If only I had been quicker – Lavender might still be alive, too…!_

Hermione brushed aside the first gush of her tears. She sniffed. With a wide look, and a pounding heart, she looked both ways along the silent, cold, empty corridor. She was alone.

_Ron! And Oliver. And Ernie… And the others! Must find them – must help my friends… If that Rutan – or the other one – is with them…_

_The wolf in me wants to break free and tear that monster apart! But how…, how can I do that! ? It would just electrocute me!_

_Two Rutans…and one of them were amongst us. It…absorbed…Lavender's spell – it even thanked her for casting her magic at it!_

_Hold on. That wasn't the first time 'Fang' was sh…_

Hermione felt a chill pass through her, as she cast her memory back further. Her neat, analytical mind picked up on another, half-forgotten observation.

_Oh, nooo…_

_Merlin! I've got to get to Ron and the rest of the gang – now!_

_Luna advised using a fire spell against the Rutan… But my wand's destroyed! If I can't take on the Rutans, I'm going to do whatever I…CAN, to save Ron and the others!_

Her mind made up, Hermione carefully took off the rubber head piece from her Batwoman costume and dropped it. Then, facing the direction she wanted – and keeping her hands on the floor to steady herself, Hermione took a series of deep breaths to slow down her pounding heartbeat. She redirected her emotions - used them to trigger her change…

Seconds later, the remainder of Hermione's costume shimmered and vanished from sight. The next stage of the transformation kicked in, and brown fur began to sprout from Hermione's skin pores. Her bones, joints, muscles, ligaments, and tendons simultaneously altered, as they undertook the by now-familiar journey of her metamorphosis.

Within the minute, Hermione fell upon her front paws as a woman-sized wolf. She snarled and licked the tip of her tongue against her teeth, savouring the feel of her fangs. Her tail twitched with the anticipation of the battle to come.

The werewolf took off – racing faster than she could ever have run as a human. Her destination – the Great Hall. Where Ron had said he would be…

"Halt!

The last remaining Sontaran on patrol stepped out of a classroom next to the stairwell, just as Hermione reached the landing. He aimed his energy rifle at her…

_Get out of my WAY…!_ Hermione growled, spittle flying from her open jaws as she leapt.

She turned her head slightly to one side and slammed her muzzle into the alien, sending him staggering back towards the stairwell. He gave a startled cry – but found his fall stopped only by the firmness of the wooden rails behind him. Grunting, the Sontaran bent down to retrieve the dropped rifle by his feet.

_NO!_

Reacting swiftly, Hermione's front paw pushed the rifle aside. Then, straightening herself up, as her form automatically shifted to a more humanoid frame, she lashed out with the claws on her other forepaw, in a rising arc.

"Uhh!" The helmeted Sontaran looked down – as if with surprise - at the claw marks across his armour. Then he sneered at the werewolf before him. There was a flash, and suddenly there was a dagger in his right gloved hand.

"You will not kill me so easily, Earth-creature! I am Lieutenant Jarve! I have fought against numerous alien creatures in the Sontaran combat training pits – and proved myself with distinction! I even blew up a Dalek on…"

"Ohhh… Shutt upp…!" Hermione dodged Jarve's first swipe with the dagger, and then ducked down to seize the energy rifle. Not knowing how to fire it, she simply backpedalled, and jabbed her short digits at every button she could feel…

The blast sent her flying backwards into the door behind her, which crashed down under her weight. The shot, however, also exploded against Jarve's chest, and sent him spinning with the impact. Striking the top of the stair rail, Jarve felt the wood gave way to his weight…

Screaming, the Sontaran tumbled – along with the pieces of the broken rail – down into the stairwell. Startled, Hermione rushed forward and gazed down – just in time to see the Lieutenant make contact with the hard floor at ground level, far below. He flopped onto his back, and did not move again.

Snarling with satisfaction, Hermione threw the energy rifle away and then ran downstairs on all fours – anxious to get to her friends before it was too late…

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

Back in the Great Hall, the party goers spun round in alarm, upon seeing the shimmering of the two arrivals. Wands were raised – then lowered again, as the materialising images resolved themselves into Harry and Hagrid.

"Harry! Hagrid!" Professor Flitwick, standing on a table, raised his hand. "Harry! I need you over here. It's Ron."

Frowning, Harry made his way through the people milling about the chamber. Seeing Ron on the floor, groaning, he increased his speed.

"Ron!"

"Urrr… Harry! Good to see you again." Ron half-rose, one hand rubbing his forehead. With the other hand, he managed to pat Harry's shoulder.

"Glad to see you, too, Ron." Harry smiled, and patted Ron back – then his expression turned serious. "What happened to you!"

"Not sure…" Ron winced. "Lupin and I were talking to Luna through the fireplace, and she was going to warn 'Mione and Lavender of some danger. Then, before I could get out of this place, I suddenly had a splitting headache that made me fall down." Ron paused, and looked thoughtful. "I think it's thanks to my werewolf link with Hermione! Something's happened to her!"

"Hermione's in trouble all right!" Harry barked. "Where's the Marauder's Map?"

"I've got it safe, Harry!" Lupin called out as he raised his head from the two captured Sontarans. "I got distracted by these two trying to break free of the magical chains we've put around them – so I've applied a stronger spell which I know of." He nodded towards Rose who was sitting at the table, with the map spread out before her. "Miss Zeller's been watching it for us…"

"Wait…! I remember now! Luna said something 'bout Fang being a Rutan. She was going to use the fireplaces, to warn Hermione!" Ron interrupted. "Whatever that headache was that struck me, it's clearing... Harry - my instincts tell me 'Mione's okay! Something hurt her – and that was conveyed to me, also. But she's recovered from it!"

With Harry's help, Ron got back upon his feet. He faced Rose. "Where's my wife on that map, Rose! ?"

The ex-Hufflepuff pupil, dressed as Zatanna, glanced over the parchment. "Hold on… She's just reached one of the main staircases. She's been moving very quickly! And she's heading this way."

Harry released the breath he had been holding. "She's alive, then! Thank goodness… But we've still got to get you all out of here. Hermione and Lavender, too. The Sontarans have set up a forcefield around the school – and it's closing in on us! If it touches us, we're dead…"

There was a murmur of agitation amongst the present survivors. Quickly, Harry and Hagrid told them their plans to get them to safety.

"The Doctor will be with us shortly… He'll take anyone left into his ship, he said," Harry pointed out.

"And how big is that? How many will it hold?" one of the musicians asked.

"Er… I don't know, actually," Harry admitted.

"What about Edgar and the others?" Lorna Broomhead raised her shrill voice. "They're still diverting the Sontarans away from us! We have to help them…!"

Lorna trailed off, as another teleported shape shimmered into existence in the Great Hall. Once again, wands were raised.

"It's all right! It's the Doctor," Harry reassured them.

Now fully formed, the Doctor looked around him at the residents of Hogwarts. He also took in the two Sontarans, Greel and Trask – who were furiously trying, without success, to escape from the re-inforced magically-summoned chains binding them.

"Do your people know…?" he started to ask Harry.

"…about the forcefield? Yes!"

"Good! Let's move – everybody! That forcefield is now cutting into the main school. We don't have much longer left!"

"Right, then! Who's comin' with me to thur well?" Hagrid boomed. "Mr Filch? Are yeh with me?"

"I'm with you, alright – Hagrid." The cantankerous caretaker grinned.

Several other people raised their hands.

"Stand to this side of the hall, then! You 'orrible lot," Filch barked. "We need to get those main doors opened again…"

As orderly as possible in the circumstances, Hagrid started gathering his volunteers. He took off the teleport device from his own wrist, and passed it to Professor Flitwick. "Here, yeh go, Professor. You'll be needin' this."

"Thank you, Hagrid. But I'll be using it to as a ferryman to get others out of the school, if I read the situation correctly."

"That's the idea, Headmaster," the Doctor flashed Flitwick a quick smile.

At the same time, Harry passed the little Professor his wand back.

"Ah! Thank you, Harry… Now. I think I can teleport someone else up with me – yes?"

"That's right…" The Doctor leaned over the teleport device now tied around Professor Flitwick's small wrist, and touched a control. He spoke into a miniature speaker on the device. "Can you hear me, Luna?"

"Oh! Loud and clear, Doctor," the airy voice of Luna Potter called out from the speaker.

"Stand by to beam up!" The Doctor looked around him. "Always wanted to say that! Now – who's injured? Oh, of course! Professor Sprout and Professor Faraday…"

And so the evacuation began. Before the eyes of the assembled, Professors Flitwick, Sprout and Faraday were teleported out of the Great Hall. Meanwhile, the Doctor – with Harry's help - made sure that the teleport devices on Greel, Trask, and the deceased Kroll were handed over to someone responsible, as the Doctor explained to them how to operate the Sontaran teleporters.

Whilst this was going on, Hagrid and the wizards and witches with him were trying to clear the makeshift barrier of tables and chairs, and cancel the spells that had been used to prevent the Sontarans from getting back into the hall via the double doors. They were the most direct way to reach the dungeon levels and the well. As the last locking spell was cancelled, the doors were flung open. The members of Hagrid's party poised themselves to fire – then relaxed, seeing as it was Oliver Wood and Edgar Mower standing before them. Both young men bore signs of having been in a hectic fight – and their faces were sweaty.

Lorna's eyes lit up, upon seeing the new arrivals. She ran over.

"Edgar! Are you okay…?"

He held her off from embracing him. "Sorry - no time for that! We need to get out of the school – some energy thingy has reached the courtyard…!"

"We know, Edgar!" Harry nodded. "We've got escape plans underway, right here…!"

"Oliver! Where are the others who were with you?" Ron grabbed hold of the burnt arm sleeve of Wood's jacket.

"Right behind…, we hope! The Patil, twins, Clifford, Ernie, and the ghosts were keeping those Sontarans busy – then a hideous green beastie…showed up and started killing the Sontarans!" Wood declared, as he recovered his breath after his dash.

"Don't forget us!" Ernie gasped, as he raced into the chamber – now missing his Green Arrow bow and quiver. Right behind him was Clifford and the Patil twins. Parvati was back in her human form. The two witches were flanking Clifford, whose hand was gradually healing…

"Ernie! What's the situation with the Sontarans?" Ron called out to him.

"That Rutan thingamajig has just killed the squad in the courtyard! It nearly got yours truly, as well!" Ernie reported.

There was a blur of shimmering light in the now-crowded hall. The Headmaster reappeared - a couple of minutes had passed since his departure with the heads of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff houses.

"The plan is working, Doctor! Mrs Potter has got those controls working to a tee! She's re-teleported us to outside the forcefield, where the centaurs are waiting. I left them there," Professor Flitwick declared, as he moved to the head table. "Next two volunteers! _Please_ form an orderly queue, now! Mr Potter, Mr Weasley – if you could assist…"

"On it, Headmaster!" Ron shot back. He and Harry managed to hold back the mad rush, and got the small crowd into a line of sorts. At the front was Rose Zeller. Behind her, Lorna Broomhead had forced Edgar to stand besides her in the queue. Oliver Wood was a few places next in line.

Professor Lupin looked around and spied the dropped Marauders Map. Shaking his head, he ran over and picked it up.

One of the women – Professor Vector – screamed. She pointed at one of the small glass windows set high on one of the hall walls. During sunny days, the windows would be open to allow the owls to enter and leave as they delivered post. Tonight the windows were firmly closed. But as everyone followed Professor Vector's raised arm, they saw – through the clear glass – the glowing curtain of the energy barrier. It was not very far away from the Great Hall…

Harry winced at the sudden babble of agitated voices around him. "Keep it down!" he shouted. "Don't panic!"

"Stop right there! ALL of you!"

Everyone froze. As one, the crowd turned to see Professor Lupin. His lip twitched with barely-concealed terror, as he pointed his raised wand at the crowd in the centre of the chamber. He glared at Harry and the people around him with accusing eyes…

"Remus? What…?" Harry's jaw hung open.

The Doctor stiffened to attention. "The Rutan…?" he ventured, his eyes dropping to the Marauder's Map spread open on the table next to the Werewolf Minister.

Lupin nodded. "…is right in this room, Doctor…"


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten:**

**Evacuation **

There was a muttering of consternation amongst the crowd.

"What…? You mean that the thing the Sontarans were searching for…is amongst us?" Professor Slughorn spluttered.

"That's right, Horace." Lupin nodded gravely. "Now, you should all step away…"

Some of the party goers gave a yell. Everyone turned, to see the brown-furred humanoid werewolf sprint into the hall. Like Harry and Luna, her wedding ring hung from the enchanted metal collar around her neck. She ran directly towards Harry, Ron, and the Doctor…

"Hermione! What are you…?" Ron trailed off, as his wife snarled and leapt for him. The crowd divided itself into two, to avoid the werewolf's fury.

Then Hermione landed on her rear paws, in the cleared space – and spun round. She was now immediately in front of Ron, Harry, and the Doctor – but with her back turned towards them, her fangs and claws bared…

…_to protect us! _Harry realised, his eyes wide with the shock of what was happening.

"Sshe is…one of thhem! A Rutann…," Hermione growled. Harry caught a glimpse of his friend's furred face. Hermione was fully in defensive pack mode. Prepared to risk her life, whilst shielding her mate and pack mates – as well as her human charges.

Harry's eyes shot across to Remus. This time, he could see that his pack-leader's wand was pointing to the same person that Hermione was now confronting with her claws and fangs.

Lorna Broomhead sharply sucked in her breath. Edgar pulled her back along with him. The queue behind them also retreated a few paces.

Leaving Rose Zeller standing by herself.

Rose gave a bewildered look, and stared back at the nearest being to her – Hermione. There was a clear yard in distance between them. "What…? We don't have time for this! We're supposed to be evacuating the school!" she yelled.

"The Marauder's Map doesn't show you, Rose," Lupin declared, keeping his wand steady and directed at her. "There's a name label marked 'Rutan' where you are standing."

"You were with Euan Abercrombie, last we knew – before…before those Sontarans turned up…," Ron muttered. "Where's Euan, Rose?"

"Don't know where he is! We got split up when those…thugs…appeared on the scene."

"You came over to see what we were doing with the Marauder's Map." Lupin patted the parchment with his free hand. "I got distracted in seeing to those two Sontarans over there." He tilted his head slightly towards Greel and Trask, who were silently watching the proceedings with interest. "By the time I came back, you had appointed yourself custodian of the map."

"Because she discovered, by chance, that it was betraying her presence?" Harry ventured.

"I reckon that's right, Harry," Lupin replied.

Rose's face twitched. Various emotions seemed to be fighting each other for expression on it. "This… This is silly! Can't you see that a witch called Rose Zeller stands before you?"

"Yeah… A witch who I've not seen cast a spell, since the Sontarans showed up," Ron remarked tartly, his eyes narrowed with dawning suspicion.

"Yes… She grabbed hold of the Sontaran blaster we acquired…and used that. Never her own wand," Edgar declared - adding his voice to the growing sea of doubt.

"Shhe also fired thhe stun blasster at Fang. Only Fang is thhe otherr Rutan…," Hermione growled.

"Firing a Sontaran blaster on a stun setting, on a Rutan?" The Doctor took a step forward. "The other Rutan would have used the energy to re-charge itself – they've learnt to do that by this stage in time… Or so I seem to recall from my experiences with them! Still – if you really are Rose Zeller, then it's easy to prove yourself…"

"Really?" Rose tilted her head towards the Doctor. "Go on…"

"Raise your hand like this…" The Doctor smiled and vertically raised his right hand, level with his head. "Now repeat after me: 'I, Rose Zeller, am a witch of good character…' "

The young woman paused. "Rose Zeller is…"

"No! Repeat _exactly _what I say. 'I, Rose Zeller…' "

Rose's face became stony. She lowered her hand.

"Doctor…?" Harry spoke up.

"Rutans can't say words like 'I', Harry. They have no concept of individuality. They're a gestalt – a collective! They regard themselves as parts of a whole. The Rutan that impersonated Hagrid made the same mistake. But I didn't spot it in time."

Hagrid stepped up to the front of the ring of the watching crowd. "Which one are yeh, then?" he spat. "The fiend who attacked an' impersonated me – or thur one who killed Fang an' took his place?"

"This aspect of us attacked you, and assumed your form." The voice now coming from the mouth of 'Rose' was essentially the same – but the delivery was flat, emotionless. Harry felt a chill run along his spine, just hearing the change and seeing the young witch's expression turn hard. There was no longer any warmth there. No humanity. "You should be dead after receiving our bio-electric charge. Explain how you survived."

"I'm a half-giant! We are as tough as old boots, yeh freak!" Hagrid bristled. "I was only seein' wha' thur fallen object was! Why did yeh attack me – an' kill poor Fang?"

"It's what Rutans do, Hagrid," the Doctor answered for him. "They have little regard for anything other than their own species. This pair simply lashed out at the first lifeforms they came across – and disguised themselves as you and your dog, knowing that the Sontarans would be still after them! And I fell for your act, Rutan! You pretending to be concussed when our party found you was a clever ruse."

The Rutan in the form of Rose Zeller focused her blank gaze upon the Doctor. "Thank you. This part of us - this scout - has visited Earth before. We are familiar with most aspects of the human condition and behaviours. But it was still necessary for us to be integrated with the local population, for our survival."

"Doctor!" Harry hissed. "We can't just talk. The evacuation."

"Quite right, Harry." The Doctor nodded - then raised his voice. "Those of you wearing the teleport devices – use the button next to the speaker on them, and get Luna to beam you up to the Sontaran ship! No one is to come back here – until I give the signal! I mean that!"

The Rutan's human expression suddenly changed into one of alarm. She lunged at Professor Flitwick, but was too late. With a cry of 'Get us _all_ up – now!" the Headmaster grabbed hold of the hands of the nearest people besides him.

The forms of Professor Flitwick, Professor Slughorn, and the protesting Parvati all shimmered – then disappeared from the hall.

The crowd quickly backpedalled from the charging Rutan, who had turned and made tracks for those with the remaining teleport devices. Panicking, Professor Vector took a waiter and one of the musicians with her – and so another trio of survivors zipped out of the chamber.

The two party guests wearing the next pair of teleport devices collective grabbed hold of Ernie, Clifford, Padma, and Oliver Wood. An instant later, they too had all gone in a blurring of lights.

The Rutan froze on the spot – having just failed to reach her latest quarry. She swung round to face Harry's party, fury etched on the face of her human form, underneath the top hat.

"You are the Doctor! You are a Time Lord known to our race," she declared. "Where is your TARDIS?"

"Oh – you want a lift, do you? Preferably away from this planet, I hope." The Doctor's smirk gave way to a deadly-serious, unsmiling, glare of contempt. He held up his right forearm, around which the teleport device - which had brought him down - was attached. "Last one's on me. So is the TARDIS key… That Sontaran energy barrier is closing in on you both, Rutan…"

The face of 'Rose' seemed to twitch with fear. Then her body shimmered with a blaze of light. A moment later, the light had reformed itself into a green jellyfish-like creature with numerous white tendrils whipping at the air around it, in agitation. An unblinking, emerald eye coldly regarded the Doctor and those standing around him. Several of the remaining survivors screamed. The two bound Sontarans, Greel and Trask, strained at their magical bonds – itching to take up arms against the unveiled Rutan.

"What the…?" Filch curled his lip.

"Hagrid! Filch…!" Harry called out.

"We're goin', 'arry!" Hagrid shot back. With a bellow to his group, the half-giant and the surly-faced caretaker herded Lorna Broomhead, Edgar Mower, and most of the others through the double doors, _en route_ to the well.

"Should I fire at it yet, Doctor? I can shot fire spells," Professor Lupin declared. He still had his wand directed at the unmasked Rutan.

"No – not yet…"

The Rutan cut the Doctor off. In a loud, warbling, inhuman voice that soundly rather like someone taking through a drainpipe, it announced: "You will take us to safety, Doctor! Or we will eliminate those around you! The two of us who survived the Sontaran attack on our cruiser are genetically-enhanced warriors. We are stronger than Rutans you have met before, Doctor! You would be wise to co-operate with us."

Hermione answered this threat with a snarl. "The otther you…killed Lavvender…"

Upon hearing this, Ron sucked in his breath.

"You two have killed enough! No deal, Rutan," the Doctor snapped. "Now, I suggest that you and the Sontarans here settle your differences – whilst we get out of the way. Right, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Professor Lupin?"

"Oh…! Sure thing, Doctor." Realisation broke out on Harry's features. He nudged Ron, and gave him a nod towards their prisoners. Ron slowly grinned back.

A moment later, both wizards spun round to face Greel and Trask. Simultaneously firing their wands, Harry and Ron dissolved the magical chains and ropes from the Sontaran troopers. The latter pair quickly got to their feet.

"Where are our weapons?" Greel snapped.

"Here!" Lupin grabbed hold of a confiscated blaster lying on the table close to him, and threw it over to the Sontaran, who expertly caught it. Seconds later, the Werewolf Minister found another blaster nearby – and tossed it through the air towards Trask. The trooper quickly retrieved it from where it fell.

The Doctor, Harry, Ron, and Lupin spun round – alerted by Hermione's growl of warning. The far end of the Great Hall – the wall behind the staff table – was now being covered by dancing motes of yellow light. A moment later, the forcefield fully shimmered into being within the chamber, and slowly advanced inwards towards the various species close by.

"The energy barrier has penetrated the main school-," Harry gasped.

"For the glory of Sontar!" Trask shouted. He began shooting at the Rutan, who took the repeated blasts. It was sent sliding along the floor of the hall, towards the approaching forcefield. With a screech, it grabbed hold of a nearby table with its tendrils – then used the leverage to propel itself back towards the Sontarans troopers.

"Run!" the Doctor yelled at his party. "Leave them to it!"

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Remus Lupin all bolted after the tall figure of the Doctor – leaving by the main double doors. Harry paused at the exit to see the Rutan taking cover behind an upturned table, then leaping out upon Trask as he moved in too close. A pair of tendrils lashed themselves around his body. There was the crackle of sparks – and he screamed in agony, before his electrocuted body slumped to the floor.

"Come on, Harry!" Ron urged him on, tugging at his sleeve.

"Let's shoot down the tree – create a barrier!" Harry suggested.

Ron nodded. Together, the two friends blasted the base of the Christmas tree – which then swayed, before crashing down upon the tables and chairs next to where the wizards had just been standing before they dodged aside to avoid being crushed. Then Harry and Ron ran out of the hall – rejoining the others.

The fivesome sprinted along the main corridor – heading after Hagrid's party, who they could see ahead of them, wands lit to sight their way in the still-deluminated interior of the main school.

The death cry of Greel, echoing behind them, made their blood pound faster.

Moments later, the Rutan emerged from the Great Hall. Using its tendrils to push itself onwards at the walking pace of a human, the green glow of the alien lit up the corridor – intend on pinning down the Doctor, its last hope for survival.

_We are Rutan! We will endure!_

Summoning up its reserves of power, the green-eyed monstrosity gradually increased its pace – driven by its fear of the tightening circle of the Sontarans' relentless forcefield…

Meanwhile, Harry's party slowed down after their initial burst of speed. Hermione had grabbed hold of Ron's hand, managing to avoid cutting her claws into his flesh. She had found herself able to run just as fast as her companions, in her humanoid wolf form.

They came to a halt along the main ground floor corridor. Just up ahead – at the bottom of the next stairwell - Hagrid, Filch, and the remaining survivors were disappearing down a staircase set behind an old door. A door that Harry had never seen open before in all of his years at Hogwarts.

"So…the well…is down there…?" Harry panted.

Remus Lupin nodded – then turned round. In the distance, the dark, cold corridor was beginning to glow an eerie green – with a luminescence that was increasing to match the lights from their lit wands.

"Ideas, Doctor?" Lupin asked aloud. "You told Harry and Luna to use fire spells…?"

The Doctor wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Yes! Rutans don't like intense heat… I'm afraid it's a case of destroying it now – otherwise, it will kill anyone who gets in-between me and it!"

Harry nodded. "Let's set up a fire-barrier, then! It'll buy us time."

"Right! Hermione taught me this advanced spell…," Ron remarked. "This will take some concentration as I recall, right?"

"It will," Harry agreed.

Harry, Ron, and Lupin proceeded to do just that. A wall of flames shot out of their wands – cutting across the main corridor just in front of them. The tongues of fire reached almost to the ceiling – providing the welcoming addition of both light and heat. Somewhere, on the other side of the fiery barrier, an inhuman scream of rage resounded.

Hermione snarled and took a few steps back, away from the flames. Harry, Ron, and Lupin instinctively understood – as werewolves, they all bore a wariness of uncontrolled fire, whilst in human form. In their animal guises, the primal fear of fire was greater.

"You should know… I'd rather not burn down the school if we can avoid it…!" Ron gulped.

"That won't happen! It's hard…to maintain those flames – and it's an exhausting spell…to try out," Harry gasped, getting his breath back.

"I just need to think of a plan! There's enough people going down to that well…," the Doctor announced, scratching his head.

Lupin nodded. "There might not be enough room for both them and us! So – anyone with suggestions…? I've got hold of the Marauder's Map, Harry… That Rutan's staying put for now!"

"And I've got the invisibility cloak with me…," Ron declared.

Harry thought furiously, rubbing his hand through his messy hair.

"Got it! Here's what I suggest, guys…"

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

The Rutan screeched with pain as it used its tendrils to pull itself across the ceiling above the tips of burning flame. Its single eye turned to regard the five life forms now standing at the bottom of the stairwell – the humanoid wolf, the Time Lord, and the three seemly-human creatures before it…

With a series of exclamations, the being saw the Rutan climb further along the ceiling – then drop down to the floor, far away from the fire.

"_Confringo!"_ the human in the strange red and yellow suit shouted, brandishing its weapon.

Ron's spell struck the Rutan, blasting it towards the fiery barrier – which was already flickering out. The alien recovered its senses after its fall – and noted with satisfaction the vanishing of the painful heat.

"Split up!" the being in the red and blue costume yelled. He and the Doctor headed for the door underneath the staircase – whilst the wolf-creature and the two remaining males ran up the stairs.

_The Doctor! He will not escape us! He is our only hope of survival from the Sontarans' forcefield…!_

Cracking menacingly, the Rutan rose on its myriad tendrils and advanced towards the open doorway, pursuing the Doctor and Harry as they ran downstairs…

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

A minute later, the Rutan emerged into a dungeon chamber – which had been converted at some stage in its history into a wine cellar.

In the corner of the chamber, close to the stone steps, was a circular, grey-stone structure about three metres in diameter – the school well.

A swift glance around the wine cellar failed to reveal Harry or the Doctor. Instead, the only signs of activity were the numerous voices echoing from the well shaft.

The Rutan quickly approached the wall of the well – then halted. At the base of the stonework, on the side opposite the entrance to the wine cellar was the Sontaran teleport device, lying on the floor.

Without hesitation, the Rutan's jellyfish-like body glowed and changed shape. Seconds later, Euan Abercrombie, dressed as Superman, stood in the wine cellar. There was a smile of satisfaction on his face, as he bent down and scooped up the device and fitted it around his wrist. Then he jabbed at the buttons.

"Luna! This is Euan. Get this lost wizard out of here – now!" he ordered.

But nothing happened.

"Beam us onto the spaceship! Now!" 'Euan' yelled.

"_Wingardium Leviosa!"_

The charm struck the disguised Rutan, raising him into the air. He gave a cry, and uselessly frailed his limbs. Turning his head to one side, however, he saw the exposed head and hands of Harry Potter step out from behind a wine rack. Then the Doctor cast aside the invisibility cloak that had shrouded both him and Harry.

"Sorry… It's a dud you've got there!" the Doctor cheerfully declared to the Rutan. "Harry had this idea of duplicating the real teleport device – which, as you can now see, is still around my forearm! It's amazing what gets taught in this school!"

Their prisoner angrily stared back at his captors.

"Harry! It's Euan! Stop fooling around!"

"Enough of the lies, Rutan!" Harry snapped. "Doctor – see how the others are below, will you?"

"Sure, Harry." The Doctor carefully approached the well from the side opposite the levitated Rutan, and glanced down. In the lit shaft below, he saw the released prisoners of the Sontarans bobbing about on cushions of air that the House Elves had created. The elves themselves- plus the stupefied owls were also in the well. Hagrid was on the top layer of the air cushions.

The Doctor cupped his hand. "All okay down there?"

"We're copin', Doc! When's tha' forcefield comin'?" Hagrid bellowed back

The Doctor snatched out his sonic screwdriver and scanned round. "Any moment now! Keep your heads down…"

Motes of lights started to appear in the well shaft – just above Hagrid's ducked head. A hum began to fill the air as the energy barrier emerged from the side of the shaft. In a matter of seconds, it cut off the evacuees from the Doctor – then the shimmering, deadly curtain began to move upwards. And there was another glow of light too, reaching the Time Lord's eyes…

"Doctor! Watch out!" Harry shouted.

He ducked – just avoiding the tendril which had shot towards his arm. A crackle of electricity danced across the Sontaran teleport device – then it petered out. The Doctor winced at the near miss.

The Rutan had reverted back to its natural form – dropping the fake teleport device in the process. The green eye glared hatefully at the Doctor.

"Release us!" it shouted in its warbling voice. "We will help you to defeat the Sontarans, in exchange for our existence…!"

"Too late." The Doctor gave the Rutan a look of contempt – then stepped back from the well. "Over to you, Harry!"

"Have you got your wand, Hagrid?" Harry called out.

The voice of the groundsman called out from the well. "Right 'ere, 'arry!"

"We have a present for you, then! I believe Hermione taught you the fetch spell… Anyway, we have to go!" Still holding the Rutan in the air with his sustained levitated spell, Harry sweated and directed his wand sideways – pulling the Rutan to one side, so that the horror was directly above the well shaft.

Filch and Hagrid saw the twitching, spellbound alien directly over them – lighting up the well shaft with its ghastly green glow – which merged with the light from the energy barrier that was slowly advancing towards the Rutan.

Hagrid nodded his understanding.

"Right… Let's be havin' you!" he rumbled. Raising his wand, Hagrid took a deep breath, and called out: _"Accio, Rutan!"_

The alien gave a screech as it felt itself being pulled down into the well shaft, towards the forcefield. Its tendrils whipped around the edge of the well wall.

"NO! Spare us!" it yelled.

"This is for Fang, an' all the other poor blighters you an' your mate killed!" Hagrid roared. He concentrated harder, summoning up what magic he could from within him. _"ACCIO, RUTAN!"_

As Harry and the Doctor watched, the Rutan that had attacked and left Hagrid for dead – then gone on to slaughter Rose and Euan – was forcefully snatched into the well. The desperate grip of its tendrils on the well wall was broken by the sheer force of Hagrid's summoning charm. The Rutan gave a scream.

An instant later, there was a near-blinding flash as green met yellow – and the tang of scorched Rutan matter…

There was the sound of cheering – of both human and elves – rising up from the well. Harry and the Doctor quickly glanced down into the shaft, to see the disintegrating particles of the Rutan on top of the rising curtain of the forcefield. Underneath that, Hagrid could be seen waving his wand in the air, in triumph. Even Filch was pleased. He slapped the half-giant's arm, laughing.

"Good on yer, Hagrid!"

"Yeh two get runnin'. We'll be fine, 'arry!" Hagrid yelled at the faces above.

"Right! Let's scarper!" Harry quickly backed away from the advancing forcefield. Re-gathering the invisibility blanket, he raced out of the wine cellar with the Doctor.

When the two of them got to the pre-ordained meeting place of the first floor landing on the stairwell above, Hermione had reverted back to her clothed human form. She, Ron, and Lupin all sighed with relief upon seeing Harry and the Doctor come back alive.

"Nice to see you pair again!" Ron greeted them, his lips curling upwards ruefully.

"So, you were that werewolf who bounded into the Great Hall?" The Doctor smiled at Hermione. "How many of you are there?"

"All four of us are werewolves, Doctor. And there's four more who've now managed to get out of the school – Luna included." Remus Lupin gave Harry, Ron, and Hermione a proud, fatherly look as he affectionately patted their shoulders. "They are _my_ pack. My foster family, in effect."

"Enough of that, Remus… What about the Rutan…?" Hermione squeaked.

"Fried in the forcefield. I gave Hagrid the privilege!" Harry smiled grimly. "He used the fetch spell to great effect, Hermione!"

She beamed. "Oh, that's…_wonderful_!"

"Are the others okay?" Lupin asked.

"Yes – the plan worked. They're all on the other side of the forcefield now!" The Doctor gave one of his winning smiles – which then gave way to his earnest, serious expression. "Now we just need to get Luna to beam us onto the _Kelkarsis_ – and Bob's your uncle! Now, we can only beam up a maximum of three at a time – so we'll do this in stages. Hopefully, the other Rutan and the Sontarans are too busy with each other to worry about us, now…!"

He pressed the com-link button on the teleport device on his wrist. "Doctor calling the _Kelkarsis_. Are you there, Luna?"

There was a crackle of static from the unit. The Doctor frowned, and jabbed at the other buttons – but nothing helped.

"Oh dear…"

"What is it?" Ron asked him.

"The Rutan tried to snatch this teleport device from me, in its desperation. I think…it's accidently shot the circuits!"

"Then we can't use it to get out of here!" Hermione's face turned pale. "Is there another way out?"

"Your vessel…!" Harry pointed out.

"Yes! We've got to get to the TARDIS before the energy barrier catches us up! It's in the Ravenclaw Common Room – or so Luna said it was…"

"We need to head west from here, then! C'mon – this way!" Harry urged them, as he took off along the first floor passageway. Ron, Hermione, Lupin, and the Doctor sprinted after him along the dark, vaunted corridor – lit wands providing their only respite from the cold gloom around them…

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

In the courtyard, the Rutan took a moment to survey the outcome of its battle with the Sontarans. The last of the enemy gave a croaking gurgle – and then dropped down from his burns and wounds. The other electrocuted troopers lay sprawled all around, with their eyes still open. Staring at the cloudy night sky and the glow of the advancing forcefield – but still seeing nothing.

All opposition had been eliminated. The ghosts had ceased whizzing around the vicinity, and were now gathering together – but for the most part, the Rutan ignored them. The transparent beings seemed reluctant to get near to it.

However, in the aftermath of its clash with the enemy, the Rutan could now hear voices from close by. It paused, to listen.

"Well. Those dome-headed fellows are done for! But we seem to have been forgotten about! What should we do now, dear fellows?" Sir Nick called out to his spectral brethren.

"That demon is still there! We should rid Hogwarts of it!" the Bloody Baron waved his sword in the air, venting his anger. "And that…barrier…that surrounds the school. That too must go! It is a bane to the living. They cannot pass safely through it!"

"But can we?" the Grey Lady frowned.

"We are already dead, after all! So let us have faith and venture forth…" The Fat Friar visibly gulped as he floated towards the energy barrier. Gingerly, he pressed a hand against the shimmering curtain and it passed through without hurting him. Quickly, the Fat Friar dashed past the barrier – then smiled with relief, as he turned and faced the resistance fighters from outside the forcefield. "All is well, my friends! We spirits are safe from this strange magic."

"That bodes well, then. But since we cannot vanquish the demon ourselves, I suggest that we see if we can rid the school of the magic that threatens the living!" the Bloody Baron bristled. "Since that strange vessel in the air is at the centre of the magical sphere, the answer must lie there."

The Grey Lady solemnly nodded. "That seems logical. We will all make haste for the ship. Yes, _you_ too, Peeves!"

"Oh, goody!"

As one, the six ghosts floated upwards towards the _Kelkarsis_. Their transparent forms glided straight into the hull of the Sontaran craft.

The bemused Rutan did not stop them. Its single eye instead turned to glare at the hated energy barrier, which was now approaching the fountain in the centre of the courtyard. An instant later, the green jellyfish-like form blazed with white light and re-morphed into a Sontaran.

Smiling, the 'trooper' took off the teleport device from the body of the nearest Sontaran it had sliced open – then it quickly walked over to the side of the yard where the double doors to the school interior were set. Activating the com-link of the held device, the Rutan's smile stretched further as 'he' raised his eyes towards the spherical shape of the _Kelkarsis_, on top of the Astronomy Tower.

"Sontaran vessel! Our task force has succeeded in destroying the enemy! Request pick-up," the Rutan declared, in the voice of the trooper it had slain.

"Oh dear. I can't do that right now, Mr Sontaran! But if you can save Harry and the others, I could reconsider," the dreamy-sounding voice of Luna Potter piped out from the com-link.

The smile dropped like an anchor from the face of the Rutan's disguise. Humans had taken over the Sontaran spaceship? Interesting…

Giving a fake cry of agony, the Rutan dropped the teleport device onto the ground. Its body glowed and changed shape once more. Seconds later, 'Lavender Brown' snatched up the device again. The Rutan recognised the voice on the com-link. Yes, it was the human called…

"Luna! It's Lavender here! The Sontaran's down. Harry and the others are on their way! _Please_ get us up!"

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

In the teleporter room of the _Kelkarsis_, Luna frowned as she took in the breathless, agitated voice of Lavender coming from the grill on the control console before her. Meanwhile, the ghosts were gathering around her.

"Wait! It _must_ be the Rutan. I glimpsed Lavender Brown in the courtyard at one stage!" Sir Nick interjected. "Then she seemed to change shape…!"

Luna's silver-grey eyes widened as she took this in. "Oh my! Thank you, Sir Nicholas!" she exclaimed. Then she spun back to the com-link.

"If you are Lavender, then tell me what happened to Ron on his seventeenth birthday."

There was a moment of silence on the com-link. "Luna! There's no tim-"

"_Tell_ me." Luna delivered her words with a tone that was unusual for her. It was steely and determined.

"He-he spent time with Hermione and Harry. He had a good day…"

"No – he spent most of the day in the Hospital Wing. The _real_ Lavender would remember that. I guess that means you killed Lavender and stole her identity. You really should _not_ have done that. Goodbye, Rutan!" Luna hummed sadly and closed the com-link off.

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

In the courtyard, the expression of 'Lavender' turned cold. The Rutan stared down at the teleport device, and consider its next course of action. Time was running out…

The female had indicated that Harry was still in the school.

_We will find Harry and make him take us to Luna. To the Sontaran ship,_ the Rutan decided. _Then, we will dispose of them…_

_We…WILL…survive!_

Clicking the teleport device into place around 'her' forearm, the fake Lavender turned and ran into the school – wondering where to start looking...

With a croak, the dazed Skane gathered her strength and pulled herself out of the courtyard fountain. The forcefield was about to slice into her…

Skane staggered over to the double doors, and then collapsed upon the concrete. Quickly pulling out a vial from her utility belt, she injected herself at a specially-designed point of her armoured arm - with a substance that acted as both a healing salve and as a stimulant.

After coming back to consciousness, the Sontaran commander had overheard the Rutan's agitated conversation with Luna on the com-link. A part of her was almost impressed. The humans had boarded the Kelkarsis, killed Horrak, and then prevented the Rutan from being teleported up? The local earthlings, along with their strange allies, were proving to be worthy foes indeed!

Which meant that her satisfaction, once she had eliminated them, would be all the greater…

Snarling, Skane forced herself back upon her feet. With a quick check to ensure that she was armed and ready, the Sontaran commander pressed on after her hated foe…

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

Harry skidded to a halt just before the main staircase that led up towards Ravenclaw tower. With a squeal, Hermione crashed into him.

"Ouch! Hermione!" Harry scolded her.

"Sorry, Harry! What's-? Oh!"

The remainder of their party caught up. Three more faces turned pale and slack-jawed, along with Harry and Hermione's.

The shimmering curtain of the destructive energy barrier lay before them, cutting across the passageway which it was now illuminating. On the other side, they could just see the staircase the Doctor had descended soon after his arrival, some hours earlier. Even as they watched, the forcefield edged towards them, inch by inch. On one of the walls an animated portrait of a stern looking former headmaster and his wife was being passed over by the rippling barrier. Inside the picture, the Victorian-dressed headmaster was jerking violently as the forcefield advanced across the portrait.

"Aaaggghhh! By the gods! That tickles like the devil!"

His wife, standing next to him, looked across. An impish smile started to break across her previously solemn expression "Well, the others along the corridor survived dear – so…" She braced herself – and then sprang at her husband, forcing both of them through the barrier. They collapsed in a fit of giggles.

"Oooo! It _does_ tickle, dear!"

"Lucky them – they're dead! But that forcefield will kill us - won't it, Doctor?" Ron pointed out.

"Yes, it will…" The Doctor looked stressed as he raised both hands to his mop of hair and clawed his fingers through it. "Drat! Drat, drat, drat, drat, _DRAT_! ! We're cut off from the TARDIS! The only option is to find a Sontaran teleport device that's still working…"

"The courtyard!" Ron yelled. "I got the ghosts to lead the Sontarans to the courtyard, as a diversion."

A hard lump formed in Harry's throat, as he thought of the net closing in on them – the forcefield before him, which was looking increasingly likely as the cause of his impending death. And the deaths of Ron, Hermione, Remus Lupin, and the Doctor…

The wolf in Harry gave a silent snarl from within him, as the humming curtain of destruction inched closer and closer. Backing away, the fivesome started to run back towards the previous staircase. Soon, they had reached it.

_God, Luna! If we die – she'll be heartbroken! I hope she's safe in that spaceship…_

Harry halted suddenly – then gave a cry. This time, Ron had crashed into him.

"Sorry, Harry! Don't just stop in front of me...! Oh, right…" Ron looked over Harry's shoulder, and saw that both flights of stairs had just shifted from the landing they were now on.

"I guess this means we have to wait – or jump!" Hermione gulped.

"I've got an idea!" Harry suddenly exclaimed. "The latent psychic link between me and Luna…!"

Hermione's hand shot to her mouth. "Ooh…! Why didn't _I_ think of that?"

"Sorry? Come again?" the Doctor shot Harry a puzzled glance.

"Our werewolf pack have discovered that we develop a faint psychic link between ourselves and our sires and protégés – that is the werewolves who pass on the condition to us, and those we pass it onto, in kind!" Harry hurriedly explained. "If I concentrate _really hard_ upon Luna, she'll sense that I'm in danger, and where I am! If she teleports down with her own wrist device…"

"Except we have a problem there. If Luna came down here…, would we get away in time?" Lupin lowered the still-activated Marauder's map, which was half-folded in one hand. He pointed down the stairwell with his wand. There, quickly walking up the stairs towards them on the swinging flight of steps, was a familiar-looking figure, dressed as The Scarlet Witch. She stopped as she caught sight of Harry's party – then gave a strange, rigid smile.

"Lavender…?" Ron gasped.

"It's _not _Lavender, Ron! It's the Rutan that killed her!" Hermione snapped.

The Doctor's face lit up. "Contact Luna, Harry! But right now, the best thing she – or anyone with her - can do is to pilot the Sontaran vessel over to the Ravenclaw tower! That way, the Rutan and any Sontarans left will be wrong-footed, when the forcefield moves in time with the ship. It's still being projected from the _Kelkarsis, _after all. The path to the TARDIS…"

"Will become clear again…!" Lupin nodded, understand. "Get to work, Harry! We'll hold the Rutan back!"

Harry quickly sat down on the landing, in a lotus flower position. He faced away from the glow of the advancing forcefield behind him – and raised his head towards the approximate angle of the Astronomy Tower and the _Kelkarsis_. Taking meditative breaths, as Luna had taught him during their marriage, Harry tried to control his racing heartbeat and scattered thoughts. Tried to focus on his wife, his mate, his Luna. Her serene, smiling face appeared in his mind's eye – and he mentally called at to her.

_Luna! First-floor corridor – near steps to Ravenclaw Tower! Need to move the Sontaran ship to above Ravenclaw Tower. Hurry..!_

He silently repeated the message again and again in his mind, hoping against hope that it would work...

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

In the Control Room of the _Kelkarsis_, Luna was still sat at the re-activated com-link – anxiously waiting for a message from Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Suddenly, her eyebrows drew in together. Professor Flitwick saw the expression on his school counsellor's face. She looked even more zoomed-out than he seen her at some of the assemblies in years gone by…

"Mrs Potter…? Are you all right?" he asked her.

"It's Harry… He's sending me a message via our bond." Suddenly, Luna gave a little jump. "They're trapped! We need to move this ship over to the Ravenclaw Tower! We need to push the forcefield away from Harry and his party."

"But…but… This technology is _alien!_" Slughorn spluttered. "Even if we identify which buttons work the…engines…, how do we steer?"

"Oi, you lot! I'm a poltergeist – remember?" Peeves waved to Luna and the two Professors from his floating position in the Control Room. "If I pop down to where the engines are, and work _my_ special magic…" He glared at his ghostly companions. "You lot can give this ship a push in the right direction, maybe? You can all move things too, if you just put your minds to it!"

"What? Even me?" Binns looked astonished.

"Since you've now accepted you're dead too, Binnsy… Yes! Even you."

The Grey Lady looked affronted. "You expect me to…_push_ this contraption? I am no manservant!"

Professor Flitwick addressed her. "With respect, your ladyship, lives are hanging in the balance…"

The Bloody Baron looked thoughtful. Then he turned to the Ravenclaw ghost. "Hogwarts is indebted to Master Potter and his friends. We _must_ act on their behalf, Helena!"

"Yes – indeed we should. Now is not the time for pride," the Fat Friar added. Professor Binns nodded along with him.

The Grey Lady gave a disdainful sniff, but assented. "Then let us act swiftly!"

"Godspeed to you all," Professor Flitwick agreed. "Professor Slughorn and I will try to help Peeves by controlling the speed of this craft, whilst you get to work."

"We need to remove the docking clamps!" Luna pointed out. She and Slughorn started pressing different buttons on what they hoped was the correct control panel…

The ghosts fled the room, and took their positions. Peeves quickly found the engines to the Sontaran ship – whilst the other five spectres drifted to the outside of the hull, and cleared their minds, in order to channel what psychokinetic power that they could…

"Have faith, my friends! We can do this!" the Fat Friar declared to his fellow ghosts, as they all hovered in mid-air, taking up position on the east side of the craft.

"Yes – for the good of Hogwarts, and the innocent who are still trapped within, we must set our personal scores aside, and unite!" Sir Nick happily declared.

The Baron glanced at The Grey Lady. "Helena… Even after all these years… You know how sorry I am that I ended your life. Can you…ever forgive me?"

She looked at him with surprise. A faint smile began to spread across her proud features. "I… I already have…"

The Baron sighed with relief. He reached out with his hand. Helena Ravenclaw took it, and held it firmly, smiling.

At that instant, the ghosts began to glow with the inner power that they had long suspected lay within them. They placed their free hands against the metal surface, and concentrated.

Seconds later, Peeves' psychokinetic powers got the engines powered up from standby mode. An extra series of lights came on around the circumference of the _Kelkarsis_.

A moment later, the four curved docking legs of the vessel removed themselves from the dome of the Astronomy Tower. With a mechanical whirr, they retreated back upwards and into the main body of the Sontaran ship.

"We are clear!" Sir Nick roared. "Push, then! With all your might! For Harry and his friends. And for Hogwarts."

And so they did. Slowly, but surely, the Sontaran vessel began to lift from the Astronomy Tower – then drift in the direction of the Ravenclaw Tower instead. Inside the Control Room, with Luna looking out of the porthole to guide them, the Headmaster and the Potions Master got the speed of the spacecraft increasing.

And down below, the slowly-contracting forcefield moved in time with the vessel. On its eastern extent, the barrier picked up speed in its approach – cutting across the main body of the school buildings, leaving the stonework untouched. Whilst on the western edge, the rippling energy was pushed back towards the West Tower and further – until the _Kelkarsis_ was directly above the Ravenclaw Common Room, and the TARDIS within.

"Stop! We'll overshoot!" Luna called out to the two Professors with her.

"One moment, Mrs Potter!" the little Headmaster cried back, as he jabbed at every control on the instrument panel before him.

Luckily, between them Flitwick and Slughorn were able to identify the spacecraft's equivalent of a brake…


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven:**

**Skane**

The flight of stairs swung back towards the landing where Harry was still sitting, cross-legged, and surrounded by the other New Marauders, Lupin, and the Doctor.

"Ron! Hermione! Harry…" 'Lavender' smiled at them.

"Remember – fire spells!" the Doctor urged them.

The being disguised as Lavender Brown began to race up the stairs. Suddenly, she gave a cry of surprise. Glancing down, the Rutan saw its human foot sinking into one of the steps.

"What…?"

"Some of the steps in this place do catch you out…" Ron's lips made a flickering smile. Then his expression turned cold. "But the real Lavender would remember that! _Incendrio!_"

His spell struck the steps just before the false witch, and the spark changed into a meter-high flame.

'Lavender' screamed. Managing to pull her foot out from the trick-step, she retreated down the staircase a few paces, raising an arm to shield her slim body.

"No! Our desires are the same! We only wish to escape from here, and live!"

"You shouldn't have killed Lavender, then!" Hermione retorted. "Or attacked me! _Incendrio!_"

A fireball shot out of Hermione's wand, and slammed into the dodging figure of the fake witch, setting her arm alight. She fell upon the corner-landing of the staircase, and rolled over – in a successful attempt to put out the flames.

There was a blaze of light which consumed 'Lavender'. Her image was replaced by the frightening visage of the Rutan's natural form. Its single eye blazed at Harry's party with anger. It raised a tendril – a limb that was wrapped around one of the Sontaran teleport devices, which was emitting smoke as a result of Hermione's assault.

"We have the means to save both ourselves and you all from the Sontaran's forcefield!" the Rutan's warbling, inhuman voice filled the air with its fury. "Destroy us – and you will destroy this also! This may be your last means to escape the Sontaran's trap."

"Hold your fire, guys! Literally!" Harry shot up to his feet. He spun round to address the Doctor. "Is it telling the truth?"

The Doctor kept his eyes on the Rutan and its bargaining chip. "Yes, it probably is!" He raised his voice. "But the fact that you have the teleport device, yet are still here, means that Luna and Flitwick haven't allowed you to board the Sontaran ship - doesn't it, Rutan? They have orders not to beam anyone up without our say-so!"

The pulsating Rutan seemed to change colour briefly, to a brighter hue – then it returned to its usual green tone.

"Who are you? We sense that you are not like these others…," the Rutan rasped.

"Oh, well done!" The Doctor lightly clapped his hands. "I'm the Doctor. The other part of you wanted me to give it a lift in my TARDIS. I expect you'll want the same…"

"You are the Time Lord known as the Doctor? Your presumption is correct – your vessel will provide sanctuary for us!" The Rutan paused. "Where is the other aspect of us? We do not sense it any longer…"

"That's because it's dead! Like you'll soon be - jellyguts!" Harry taunted it. He was about to say more – when Hermione gasped.

"Hermione?" Ron turned to follow her gaze. Along the first-floor corridor, the advancing curtain of the energy barrier had halted its deadly march towards them. As the five of them watched, the forcefield began to retreat westwards…

Harry drew in his breath. A quick glance through the staircase window behind the Rutan showed that the lights and shadows from the Sontaran vessel above Hogwarts were shifting.

"Yes!" Hermione squealed and hugged Harry. "You did it, Harry! You and Luna – you _both_ did it! The Sontaran ship is shifting closer to us!"

He gave a huge smile of relief.

Lupin allowed himself to breathe. "The way to Ravenclaw Tower…!"

"…is now clearing. We can get to the TARDIS, after all! Brilliant!" The Doctor beamed at his companions. "Now let's _run_!"

"Right! New Marauders! Raise a firewall" Lupin raised his wand. Along with Harry, Hermione, and Ron – he created a row of flames on the stairs in-between them and the Rutan. With the furious scream of the creature echoing behind them, the witch and three wizards sprinted after the Doctor, as they raced along the dark first-floor corridor – reaching the next main staircase.

The Doctor jabbed a finger further along the furthest extent of the first floor corridor. "Hurry! The forcefield is still closing in! Luna and the others have just bought us a few, but vital, minutes of extra time!"

Harry's party got going, racing up the staircase – pausing at one stage, whilst they waited for a flight of steps to swing and 'click' into position for them to press onwards. As they got to the third floor landing, even the stamina of the human-skinned werewolves was beginning to flag, and they slowed down – panting and wiping the sweat from their faces.

"Come _on_, Ron…" Hermione gulped to get her breath back, as she gave her husband a rueful smile. "You are meant to be…the Flash…! The fastest man on this planet!"

"Chance would be…a fine thing!" Ron rolled his eyes as he recovered his breath on the landing. Then he froze, gulped, and slowly raised his hand. He pointed to the green glow advancing along the opposite wall of the third-floor corridor. An ominous crackling was swiftly getting louder.

"Oh, Merlin…!" Hermione's hand flew to her mouth. "It's worked its way up the other staircase…"

"…and come along the third-floor corridor," Harry wheezed. He levelled his wand ready. _"Incendrio firewall!"_

Another barrier of flames, provided by Harry, Ron, and Lupin, was sprung up – cutting the landing off from the third-floor passageway. Again, the Rutan gave a blood-curdling screech – and it retreated. In the meantime, the band of six gathered their strength and pressed on.

They were on the flight of steps in-between the stained glass window and the fourth-floor landing, when the window behind them shattered. Amidst the screaming from Hermione and Ron, and the whizzing of glass shards, Harry lowered his hands from his head – and quickly joined Lupin in casting a shielding spell to help them all escape injury.

The last of the glass fell upon the stairs around them. The shield spells flickered, and then went out – the magic bearers now exhausted from their collective exertions of the night. The Doctor raised his head from his crouched, foetal-like position, and took in the shape that had blasted the window into pieces before flying over their heads.

Commander Skane turned her hovering, armoured suit around – and then pressed a button on the armpad that was connected to her jetpack. Her booted feet made contact with the carpet on the landing. In the next instant, she aimed her officer's blaster at the would-be-escapees.

"If I am to perish this night – I will die, knowing I have defeated you and the Rutan, Doctor!" Skane rasped.

Harry saw the Doctor's face drain dry. Time seemed to stretch out. Harry knew that they were all flagging – unable to go on firing spell after spell…

"Decide, Time Lord!" Skane leered at him. "You have the TARDIS key. Do you save both your friends _and _us – or do we let the Rutan take the key from your dead body?"

"Ah! Interesting proposition…," the Doctor muttered, his mind racing. He glanced at his companions, and saw their exhausted faces. "I guess I'll have to agree. Alternatively, you could deactivate the forcefield! That way, we'll _all_ buy more time!"

"The energy forcefield _cannot_ be deactivated, Doctor! The Rutan shall not live beyond this night…"

Skane was interrupted by a sudden shimmering of light on the landing in-between Harry's group and the Sontaran commander. In the next moment, Luna Potter had materialised, still dressed as the Black Cat – only she was facing her friends, and unable to see Skane behind her.

"Hullo, everyone! I've come to get you all out…!" She ran down the steps to grasp Harry's hand…

"Luna – watch out!" he yelled.

"No!" Skane roared, seeing the teleport device on the new arrival. Instinctively, she fired her blaster – and Luna gave a startled _'eep!'_ as the device around her forearm exploded in a show of sparks. Quickly, Harry pulled Luna down upon the stairs and unclipped the device off from her. As it fell upon the carpet close by, it broke into pieces.

Luna glanced down at the remains. "Oh dear…," she said sadly.

Lupin pushed the Doctor aside, his wand aimed. _"Stupefy!"_ he barked.

The Sontaran gave a cry of frustration and pain, as the red bolt of light from the Werewolf Minister's wand struck her on the temple. The commander was slammed backwards into a door behind her – which promptly broke off its hinges, thanks to the impact.

"Keep running!" Lupin urged the group. Stepping onto the third floor landing, he watched over the fallen Skane – whilst Harry, Ron and Hermione helped to get the shaken Luna back upon her feet. The four of them rushed past Lupin and the Doctor – then Luna paused, and pointed downwards.

"The Rutan!" she warned them, her voice losing some of her usual, calm demeanour. "It's climbing after us!"

Harry, Hermione, and Ron all looked down – a sickening feeling rising in their guts. The glowing alien had just managed to put out the flames on its body after squeezing over the firewall – and it was now slowly pulling itself up the stairs next to the shattered window. Suddenly, the flight it was on began to swing across as the magical staircase rearranged itself once more, preventing the Rutan from advancing any further…

The injured monstrosity gave a screech of panic, and it 'jumped' over to the static corner landing it had been aiming for. Its front tendrils hooked themselves around the corner posts of the landing, whilst the rest of its body dropped down – the rear tendrils whipping in agitation through thin air.

From close behind them, Harry heard an explosion. Skane gave a below of agony.

He didn't look around. The Rutan was what disturbed him the most – and he wasn't prepared to take his eyes off from it, just yet…

"Now's our chance! Luna, Ron – a three-in-one blast spell should tear through that corner landing!" He levelled his wand at the target underneath the Rutan. Ron and Luna followed suit. They cried out at the same time.

"_Expulso!"_

Together, their wands fired. The wooden landing cracked, and then broke into bits under the combined blast. The Rutan screamed as it fell onto the landing directly below. For a long moment, it was still – then the twitching green eye took in the rippling curtain of the destructive forcefield now just a few feet away from it. Fear and desperation took hold of the creature, and it angrily whipped out its tendrils again to the next corner posts of the staircase – using them to pull itself up and onwards.

"It's not going to lie down…and give up!" Ron panted. His eyes were wide. His expression underneath his eye mask was pale. Horror-filled.

Hermione gave a 'squeak' of panic, and sprinted on up the great staircase, pulling Ron almost off his feet in the process as she grabbed his hand. "Let's move!" she yelled. "You don't want that _thing_ to strike at you, believe me!"

"We believe you!" Harry shot back, as his group raced on towards the fifth-floor landing – Hermione and Ron holding hands, Harry and Luna - equally-joined – forming the sandwich filling, and the Doctor and Remus Lupin bringing up the rear.

"What did you do to Skane's weapon, to make it explode, Doctor?" Lupin shot the Doctor a quizzical look of admiration as they sprinted up the staircase, side by side.

"I managed to get the sonic screwdriver to emit a microwave frequency. The right one to cause the blaster to overheat! That will get Skane to think carefully about challenging us again…"

He was interrupted as Skane shot up through the air in the middle of the wide stairwell, using her jetpack. She landed on the fifth-floor landing before Ron and Hermione. This time she brandished a grenade in her left gloved hand – the right one was now black and half-burnt from the explosion of her blaster.

"You have chosen death, Doctor…," the Sontaran hissed, gritting her teeth against her pain.

"Flamin' hell! Can't you invading aliens take a hint…?" Ron bellowed, as he halted and raised his ward once more.

Then the Doctor's eyes took in something next to the Sontaran commander. "Ron – stop!" he called out, his mind racing. He stepped behind Professor Lupin, and – unseen by the others – pressed something into the pack leader's hand.

"What…?"

"Get the others to the Ravenclaw Common Room, and use this on the blue box!" the Doctor whispered. Then he raised his voice over the background hum of the forcefield below them. "Is your rapier real, Professor Lupin?"

"Er… No. Just hard plastic. But give me a moment. I know an advanced spell…" Pulling out the rapier from his scabbard, Lupin tapped it with his wand, muttering a spell. Seconds later, the blade had turned to steel. The Doctor then grabbed it and held the weapon aloft.

"I challenge you to single combat, Commander Skane!" he glared at the Sontaran squad leader. "Let the others go by – they can't operate the TARDIS! It's me you want!"

Luna's gaze shifted from the Doctor to the silent commander, and decided to intervene. "Or are you afraid of taking on the famous Doctor, Skane?" she piped up.

Skane considered this – then she saw the suit of armour besides her, bearing a sword within the grasp of its gauntlets. The grenade was put away. Then, pulling the weapon free with a forceful tug, the commander faced the party again and gave a leering smile. She discarded the scabbard of her acquired sword.

"Afraid?" Skane retorted to Luna. "A Sontaran commander is afraid of _nothing!_ Challenge accepted, Doctor!"

Luna gave a satisfied smile. "I thought so…," she announced softly.

Harry's mouth dropped open. "Wh-what? Doctor – have you gone crazy?"

"Harry… All of you, in fact. When I say run…," the Doctor's sigh gave way to a bellow. "…RUN!"

The hum of the steadily-approaching forcefield was getting louder. Harry glanced down to see the injured Rutan climbing the stairs in-between the third and fourth floors – the glow of the barrier almost on its heels… Or rather, it would have been so, if the Rutan actually had heels.

"Come on, Harry!" Luna's gentle voice was in contrast to the force of her tug and the desperation and despair they shared. The Weasleys, Potters, and Remus Lupin all paused to re-gather their breaths – their hearts hammering with dread, as they halted halfway between the fifth and sixth floors.

The next flight of steps had just swung away from them…

"That's torn it!" Ron exclaimed. He looked back at his friends. "Can any of us cast a levitation charm that'll float us all up quicker?"

"No. And we need…to stick together, Ron." Hermione took another gulp of air, as she wiped the sweat from her face. "Especially since that Rutan…destroyed my wand!"

Harry looked at the gap separating them from the next stationary set of stairs. Too wide to jump… His heart sank, and he turned to Luna. Sadly, he rubbed his hand along her smooth face. "Luna… We might…" He swallowed back the lump forming in his throat, and made an effort to pull himself together. To rise above the fear that threatened to overwhelm him. "This might be the end for us… I…I'm sorry that you're now trapped here with us. You would…, you would have been safer on the _Kelkarsis_…"

"Oh, Harry…" Luna's wide silver-grey eyes were moist as her soft, dreamy voice reached his ears. She raised a hand and stroked Harry's face in turn. "If _any_ of you die… But especially you, or Hermione, or Ron, or Remus…" She looked meaningfully at each of them in turn. "…just think of how heartbroken I would be. If we are to perish, I'd rather that we died together! That way we'll keep each other company, as friends, in the next world."

The lump returned to Harry's throat. He couldn't speak. Holding back the verge of tears in his eyes, Harry leaned forward and hugged her tightly.

Then Hermione sniffed. Stepping forward, she threw her arms around them both.

"Oh… What the hell…!" Ron rolled his eyes – then joined in with the group hug.

Remus Lupin gave a sad smile, and stepped in to ruffle the hair of all four of his pack 'children'. They looked up and smiled appreciatively at him. "Thanks, Moony…," Harry managed to speak for them.

"We love you too, Remus," Hermione confirmed.

"As I love all four of you, my New Marauders! But it's not over yet…," he reassured them.

The group broke up. Harry glanced behind them, seeing the Doctor and Skane in the middle of their sword fight – clashing blades on the landing below. "What's he doing? He'll get himself killed!" he protested. "We won't be able to get into the Doctor's ship without…"

Harry's words faded in the air as Lupin thrusted out his clenched hand and opened it. The New Marauders could now see the TARDIS key on his palm.

"The Doctor knows what he is doing! Let's get to that common room!" Lupin urged them.

"Right!" Harry responded, his heart beating faster with renewed hope. He turned his attention back to the stairwell in front of them. "Except that flight of steps we need isn't moving back into place for us!"

Lupin rubbed his moustache, thinking. "Then let's _change_ our tactics, Harry. Here, take my wand!" He took a few paces back, and then closed his eyes. His clothes began to shimmer and blend into his body, as he crouched down and started to sprout fur…

"Moony – be careful!" Harry exclaimed, realising what his pack leader was up to.

Within the next half-minute Remus Lupin stood on the flight of stairs they were on, in his fully-fledged lupine form. Growling, he took a few paws paces back. Moving out of the way, Harry, Luna, Hermione, and Ron pressed themselves to one side against the stair rail. Ron had his wand ready to cast the Levicorpus spell, if Lupin's ploy failed…

"Good luck, Professor!" Ron swallowed.

Lupin tensed himself – then bolted forwards up the flight of steps. Taking off at the right moment, the great wolf sailed through the air – and landed in an ungainly fashion on the rigid landing on the other side of the gap. But he rolled himself upright, and looked back at them. He gave a howl of triumph.

He was safe.

Harry and the others released the breaths they had been holding back.

"He's done it! Now it's our turn. Throw your wands over to Remus – we can snatch them up with our teeth when we land! Yes, Hermione. Throw his wand over, too. Hurry!" Harry ordered his friends, as he took off his spectacles, folded them, and then carefully threw them over to the landing, where they landed next to the Lupin-wolf.

Together, Harry, Luna, Hermione, and Ron concentrated. As one, their costumes melted on them, and they bent down on the stairs, as their bodies began to alter. Bones cracked, new joints formed, fur grew out from their skin pores, their ears developed points as they stretched towards the tops of their flattening skulls, noses turned dark and leathery, muzzles pulled forwards, fangs grew into place, and fingernails changed into thick claws…

In response, Lupin shifted back into his clothed, human form. He grabbed his wand tightly – ready to rescue anyone who couldn't make the jump safely…

One-by-one, the werewolf pack took running leaps for the landing where their alpha awaited them. Hermione first, then Ron, then Luna…

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

The Doctor reeled from the latest clash of steel, as Commander Skane struck her sword blade against her opponent's. Staggering slightly, the Doctor took advantage of his greater agility and spun round – managing to slip past the bulky, jetpack-fitted form of the Sontaran leader. Skane roared her frustration, and turned round. But the Doctor was now sidestepping so that he was always behind the female Sonataran's jetpack.

"Yield, and die, Doctor! You cannot win against me!"

"Can't die just yet, I'm afraid, Skane…" The Doctor panted, but smiled. "I'm having too much fun! I've been wanting to sword fight again – ever since I got the better of the Sycorax leader! I also sword-sparred with Linx, you should know… He wasn't able to kill me, either!"

"You fought Linx? He is still renowned amongst our people!" A tone of admiration crept into Skane's tone. "Did you defeat him in glorious combat?"

"Ah, no…," the Doctor admitted.

"Then I will prove myself to be stronger than _you_!" Skane screamed aloud, as she continued to turn around on the landing, attempting to confront the Doctor directly. "My race will be free of your interference in our war against the Rutans!"

The Doctor gasped for breath, as he forced himself on, keeping behind Skane's back. The jetpack, however, was blocking his access to the commander's probic vent. His sonic screwdriver was in his coat pocket. If he had the chance and enough time, he would drop his rapier and ram the screwdriver into Skane's vent, rendering her unconscious.

_At least she would not feel anything when the forcefield claims her. That's as merciful as I can be for you, Skane!_

The Sontaran gave another roar of frustration. She changed tactics and decided to do something that did not come naturally to the Sontaran mindset – she retreated.

Only, in her case, the impact of Skane's weight suddenly slamming into the Doctor caught the Time Lord off guard. He was crushed against the wall of a corner landing, and the animated portrait immediately above gave a yell of panic as it fell of its nail and bounced off Skane's head. Trapped in place, the Doctor cried out as the Sontaran's elbow was rammed backwards into his stomach. Winded, he dropped his weapon. He gasped for breath as Skane continued to press the back of the jetpack against his chest…

Skane gave a mocking laugh. Her only regret was that she could not see the Doctor's face. Keeping up the pressure of her crush as best as possible, she slowly turned her body round…

Only to see the glowing Rutan on the flight of stairs below her, painfully crawling its way towards them…

"_Aaagghh!" _

Skane screamed as the tendril lashed forward at speed, and whipped around her booted foot. A surge of agonising volts zapped upwards through her body.

The Doctor's eyes widened as he realised what was happening. He could see the green glow behind his Sontaran adversary, and his nostrils took in the electric burning that Skane had just endured…

He waited for the electrical aura to fade from Skane's domed head.

_Now!_

The Doctor pushed the injured commander forward, so that her upper part was bent about thirty degrees. Then, firmly seizing hold of Skane's right arm and shoulder, the Doctor pressed what he hoped was the correct button on the Sontaran's jetpack control.

His eyes and memory had served him well.

The Doctor, Skane, and the Rutan all gave different, bellowing cries as the jetpack was activated, and they collectively took off – zipping upwards through the centre of the great stairwell. The Rutan screaming with terror, as it hung onto Skane's boot, dangling from a single tendril; Skane yelling in surprised panic; and the Doctor emitting a cry of delighted exhilaration, whilst making sure that the Rutan could not reach him from its position on the opposite side of the Sontaran.

"Nooo!" Skane roared. She lashed out with her right arm and managed to slam the back of her right fist into the Doctor's right cheek.

Finding his grip on Skane's shoulder slipping, the Doctor fell off…

"_Yaaaggghhh! !"_

A moment later, the Rutan was struck by the rails belonging to a flight of steps near to the top of the stairwell. With a warbling scream, it started to tumble in mid-air – then a pair of snaking tendrils lashed themselves around a corner post of the staircase below. Slowly, painfully, it began to pull itself up and over onto the reassuring firmness of the stone steps…

Meanwhile, Commander Skane – unable to slow down her sudden ascent, or alter course in time – had been left to crash into the paintings above the landing in-between the sixth and seventh floors.

The main fuel tank emptied itself. But before the reserve store could kick in, Skane consequently dropped like a stone onto the landing underneath her. The occupants of the pictures screamed and fled out of sight, as the dislodged canvases chattered upon the halfway landing, burying the fallen Sontaran leader…

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

"Urr… Lucky snatch, there – Doctor!" a certain Time Lord muttered breathlessly to himself.

The Doctor was feeling dizzy as he glanced down into thin air. He was hanging by his aching, reddened fingers on the edge of a flight of steps that were beginning to swing across the great stairwell. He glanced anxiously to his right, where the motion of the changing stairs was taking him towards a stationary corner landing. As soon as the two parts connected, he would be knocked off his precarious perch…

"Uh-oh…! _HELP! !_" he cried out.

"On two! One, two…"

"_Wingardium Leviosa!"_ three voice cried out, in unison.

"Whhhooaaa!" The Doctor found himself floating upwards, plucked against his will from the moving flight of stairs, just as the steps 'clicked' into place with the landing below.

Harry, Luna, and Remus Lupin – now all back in human form after their nerve-wracking leaps across the stairwell – redirected their wands, until the Doctor was safely lowered onto the steps next to them.

"Thanks! You've just saved me from letting myself down!" the Doctor drily commented, as he carefully got to his feet with the aid of the Potters. "I didn't know you lot could levitate a fully-grown man…"

"Neither did we, until now! But I guess if you don't try…, you never know what you can actually do in an emergency!" Harry, wearing his spectacles once more after his jump, patted the Doctor's shoulder.

"We just managed to change back into human form and bear our wands onto you," Lupin added. He glanced across at the pile of fallen portraits on the corner landing a few feet down from them. "Is Skane finish…" He trailed off, as he saw the paintings twitch and slip off the stirring form of the Sontaran squad leader.

Terror abruptly seized Harry's heart. The sweat on his face ran down and fell onto the tears across the chest area of his battered Spider-Man costume. "Blast! I can't…fire another spell… I'm…exhausted!" he panted.

Luna and Lupin looked similarly flagged out, the Doctor observed.

"Me too…, I'm afraid," admitted the Werewolf Minister.

Luna, meanwhile, was looking down in the dark staircase. She re-lit the light at the end of her wand, to see better by. The stairwell wasn't quite so black now, in any case, the Doctor noted. Through the windows of the seventh-floor level, on the eastern side, the beginnings of the twilight before the winter dawn were making themselves known.

"Oh dear…," Luna remarked in her ever-airy tone-of-voice. "That horrible, overgrown jellyfish is still after us – and the forcefield is almost right behind it!"

Harry, Lupin, and the Doctor hurriedly glanced over the stairwell. The forcefield had indeed reached the fifth-floor landing by now, lighting up the stairs it was advancing upon. The injured Rutan was tenaciously pulling itself on up the remaining steps towards them – somehow managing to keep a pace that was faster than that of the destructive energy screen…

Then, shaking off the remaining magical portraits, Skane – still with her refuelling jet pack clipped onto her Sontaran armour – used the banister to force herself upright. She glared at Harry's party with murderous fury as she clenched a shaking fist. Then she took a step forward with her left foot – and nearly collapsed. Agony shot across Skane's blackened face. She composed herself - then used both of her gloved hands to limp up the steps, using the banister to pull herself on.

"The Ravenclaw Common Room – come on!" Harry urged them. Turning, Harry and Luna leaned against each other for support, as they laboriously climbed the last few stairs and reached the very top of the staircase, turning into the seventh-floor corridor, the Potters gasped. Harry felt his aching muscles begin to falter. Even with the extra stamina that came with being a werewolf, he was wondering how much more he could take.

"Harry – don't give up! You can make it… I have faith in you." Luna tried to smile at him, despite her own fatigue.

"Can't… Need to rest…!" Harry panted.

Luna frowned. She raised her voice, even as she firmly gripped his hand. "Harry James Potter – you listen to me! You will _not_ stop, until we reach that Common Room! You _can_ do this!"

Harry paused, taken aback. He took a moment to gaze into his wife's determined eyes underneath the Black Cat mask. His nostrils widened, taking in her scent. His fighting spirit drew in fire from Luna's words and conviction. The ends of his lips twitched upwards, and he nodded firmly.

"You're right.… And I have faith in you, too – Luna Aphrodite Potter," he panted. He weakly patted her back. "Let's move it!"

As one, the Potters forced themselves onwards. At the end of the passageway, they could see Ron and Hermione slumped on the floor, gasping as they shifted back into their costumed, human forms, after their run as wolves. The Weasleys then pulled themselves up, before listening to the riddle of the day from the guardian to the common room.

"Bloody hell!" Harry and Luna heard Ron's irate voice. "How are we going to answer that one?"

Hermione leaned against the wall next to the door. "Aaagghh! Think, Hermione – think!" she chastised herself. "From July to November, this man makes himself gradually known over time, each year. What is his name…?" Hermione repeated.

Harry and Luna pushed on. Mrs Potter began to sag, gasping – but Harry was now drawing strength from simply being in her arms, as Luna was from him. Her nostrils flared, taking in his scent in turn – and a dreamy smile spread across her pale, clammy face.

"C'mon, Luna! Did you hear that riddle? Ron and Hermione need our help to get into the Ravenclaw Common Room… Show us your Ravenclaw intellect!"

"Yes… From July to November…, gradually makes himself know each year. What is his _name_?" Luna pondered. Her eyes lost focus as her out-of-the-box mind got to work on the conundrum, even as her grip on Harry grew firmer and her staggering walk regained its normal pace and poise – to the point that she started to pull Harry after _her_. Within moments, the Potters were within yards of the common room door, where Ron and Hermione were unsuccessfully running off male names at random.

"My! Of course…" Luna raised her voice. "Hermione, Ron…! The man of the year is Ja…"

"Watch out!" the Doctor yelled.

Harry and Luna managed to turn round. The Doctor had been helping an exhausted-looking Professor Lupin along (with Moony having his arm slung around the Time Lord for support), but he had glanced back and seen the danger…

The Potters gave a scream. With a burst of adrenalin, Harry threw himself against a wall, taking Luna down with him, shielding her, as Commander Skane horizontally flew past them, using the reserve fuel in her jet pack.

Only Skane had just discovered that the controls for the jetpack – damaged in her last collision – were now failing to work, as she desperately thumped the cut-off button repeatedly…

"Ron! Hermi-," Harry tried to alert them, in time.

But his werewolf friends, tired as they were, were already reacting. With a panicking shriek, Hermione slammed Ron to the ground, just a moment before the bellowing Sontaran crashed into the common room door with such force, it was knocked off its hinges.

"_Aaaiiieee!"_

The pack's reserve fuel was depleted. Skane was consequently carried forward by her projectile thrust, until she crashed into the base of the statue of Rowena Ravenclaw.

By the time that the four New Marauders, Remus Lupin, and the Doctor entered the airy common room, the chamber was silent – lit only by the first hints of the dawn light seeping through the east-facing windows. Panting, Lupin used his magic to light up the bracketed wall torches in the room, providing respite from the dark and cold stairwell they had left behind.

Along with the New Marauders, he was startled by the nearby presence of the blue Police Box.

"What the blazes…?" Lupin muttered.

"That's my craft – the TARDIS!" the Doctor cheerfully announced.

"How in Merlin's name are we all going to fit in there?" Hermione pointed out.

"No need to look so glum, Hermione! You'll see…"

The smile on the Doctor's face left Harry puzzled. Then he spied a motion out of the corner of his eye – and he spun round. Skane had managed to straighten herself upright on her knees, and – grinning – she rolled a grey metal sphere, about the size of a Golden Snitch, towards the six survivors. It flashed with a tiny white light…

"Take cover!" Harry shouted, instinctively pulling out his wand, as he turned to shield Luna again. She gasped and, in turn, instinctively grabbed hold of him and pulled him back into her arms.

The others turned to run for the cover of the nearest chairs and tables…

There was an explosion – but not one of flames or flying shrapnel. Instead, a piercing ringing noise stabbed at the brains of the five werewolves present. The Doctor, too, cried out and slid down the wall he had been slammed against by the blast, hands held over his throbbing ears.

The pain in Harry's pounding head very slowly began to fade away. Groggily, he forced himself up upon his elbows, as he heard someone give a strangled cry of alarm. His heart missing a beat, he quickly turned and found Luna lying next to him. Sighing with relief, he helped her into a sitting position against the nearest upturned chair.

"Oooh… What was that awful thing?" she asked, rubbing her eyes. Her airy voice sounded strained.

"A sonic grenade – which affected you lot more than me. You know why," the Doctor answered for her benefit, as he balanced himself upright on his knees, his blue-lit sonic screwdriver aimed at Skane. He looked somewhat battered by colliding with a nearby table, but he seemed more alert than Hermione and Lupin, close by. Both of their pack mates were rubbing their heads – dazed from the shock of the exploding sonic grenade.

_And Ron…?_

Harry's heart leapt into his mouth as he turned round from his crouched position. Skane had already taken advantage of the stunned state of Harry's friends – and used the time bought to unclip herself from her emptied jetpack, and to seize the now-frightened Ron Weasley by the throat.

"Ron!" Harry yelled, feeling too weak at that moment to stand up. He glanced down. Both his and Luna's wands were on the floor, a yard away. Meanwhile, Hermione was still on her elbows, on the carpeted floor, as she gradually recovered. She started to crawl over towards Ron's dropped wand, which was halfway between her and her captured husband.

_Ron must have been about to retrieve it, when Skane got hold of him,_ Harry mused, his headache now gradually fading, as his werewolf constitution got to work, helping him to recover.

"Halt!" The Sontaran turned her attention ninety degrees to her left, from the Doctor to Hermione. "Or I will break the neck of your friend!"

Hermione froze rigid. Lips trembling, she stared at Ron - who gazed back at her, wide-eyed. He tried, without success, to break free from Skane's tight grip.

"Let…him…GO!" she growled threateningly at the Sontaran leader. "Or I _will_ hurt you!"

"You know, Skane…" The Doctor kept his voice calm and conversational, whilst still aiming the sonic screwdriver at his Sontaran target. "I was rather hoping you would spend your last moments trying to kill the Rutan, like your two troopers in the Great Hall did – instead of hounding us. After all, your squad must be all dead by now. That includes your technician… Surely you would want to die with your usual Sontaran honour and all that malarkey?"

Skane's lipless mouth twisted into a sneer. "I too had hoped to see the Rutan perish, with my own eyes – after witnessing its slaughter of my troopers. But the Rutan will soon die anyway... _I_, on the other hand, must survive and report back to my people – with you and the TARDIS as my prize to present to my Admiral!" Her gaze lingered gloatingly for a moment on the police box close by. She wheezed, coughing up Sontaran blood - and then jerked on Ron's neck.

"Unlock the TARDIS door, Doctor. You and I will leave and travel to Sontar. This human will be my hostage. Disobey me, and he dies. The others are now expendable…"

"_What! ?"_ Harry spluttered. He bent down to seize his wand…

"Back away, human! Touch your weapon – and your friend perishes! Last warning!" Skane spat. "_Surrender!_ All of you!"

Harry and Luna paused, and then raised her hands into the air. The Doctor quickly altered the setting on his sonic screwdriver - then lowered it. His eyes, however, were narrowed. Harry saw his face twitch with barely-concealed disgust.

"Oh – now you're really torn it, Skane. My friends are NOT expendable! And that ego of yours is about to come crashing down… Right, Hermione?"

Harry glanced across to the puzzled-looking Hermione.

"It is…?" She blinked, and followed the Doctor's gaze – which was flickering from her to…

"Ohh! _I see…!_"

A look of suspicion swept across Skane's ugly face. "I have your companion directly between us, female earthling! Do not touch your weap…"

But in a flash, Hermione dived forward and grasped hold of Ron's ward, aiming it. _"Expulso!"_ she cried out.

Skane automatically tilted her armoured body to one side, taking the protesting Ron with her. There was the sound of an explosion, a shattering of rock and dust – and then nothing.

"Blimey! Hermi-" Ron's voice was cut off as his Sontaran captor straightened both herself and him back up again. The blackened, gloved hand was clamped over his mouth once more.

"You missed!" Skane laughed mockingly at Hermione. "Now, Doctor! Unlock the TAR-"

"I wasn't aiming at _you_!" Hermione cut the commander off – giving her a hard smile of satisfaction.

Snapping up his sonic screwdriver, the Doctor quickly activated it. A shrill vibration was pulsated towards a spot behind Skane and Ron.

Still on her knees, Skane twisted herself round. The puzzlement on her harsh face changed in an instant to horrified realisation as she took in the statue of Rowena Ravenclaw next to her – its marble base shattered by Hermione's magic. It swayed to the sonic vibrations sent out by the Doctor. In the next instant, the edify toppled over – bearing straight down on…

Together, Harry and Luna lunged forwards and snatched up their wands. _"Accio Ron!"_ they both cried out simultaneously.

Ron was abruptly yanked out of his captor's grasp, and slid across the floor to the Potters, just as Skane gave a cry of terror. Harry caught a glimpse of the Sontaran's open-mouthed expression – then the founder of Ravenclaw house fell heavily on top of the alien commander, slamming her backwards to the floor. Her scream was abruptly cut off.

The right forearm, sprayed out clear from the area of impact, twitched – the gloved fingers grasping at thin air. Then the arm slumped forward upon the floor and did not move again.

For a moment, there was only silence. Then Ron scampered over to Hermione. They held each other tightly, speaking without words.

Remus Lupin, meanwhile, had crawled over to the open doorway. "The Rutan!" He found his voice. "It's still coming for us! Harry – pass me a chair. I've just about got the strength to set something on fire!"

"Right…" Harry staggered as he rose to his feet and complied. He joined Professor Lupin at the doorway, and froze for a moment – seeing the ghastly green glow of the Rutan dragging itself along the seventh-floor corridor towards the Ravenclaw Common Room. It was almost at the doorway…

Snapping out of his horrified gaze, Harry helped his pack-leader to place the chair at the doorway and use their wands to create a fire. The Rutan halted, and gave a scream of frustration.

The Doctor hurried over to them. "Remus! My key, please! Thanks for keeping it safe."

"No problem, Doctor."

Grabbing the key, the Doctor dashed over to the TARDIS door and unlocked it. He pushed the door open. "In you all go – quickly! Ron? Hermione? What is it…?"

The Weasleys had disengaged themselves from their embrace and were now gazing fearfully at Skane's exposed wrist pad. The display was flashing different figures at regular intervals.

The Doctor ran over. Somewhat less energetically, the others came over to examine the wrist pad. The Doctor frowned – and then his expression turned pale. He slapped a hand against his temple in despair.

"Oh… Skane was _not_ bluffing when she said the Rutan would die anyway! The clever, _clever _Sontaran…!"

"What's she done?" Harry asked fearfully.

"Skane's set up an automated response trigger between her wrist pad – which must have been monitoring her life signs – and the core computer in the _Kelkarsis_. With Skane dead, the self-destruct sequence on the Sontaran vessel has been activated. She really wasn't leaving anything to chance, when it came to ensuring that her Rutan prey was wiped out!"

"Self-destruct? But Professors Flitwick and Slughorn are on board that spacecraft…!" Luna's voice rose, in her panic. "And the _Kelkarsis _is directly above us! The explosion…"

"…could destroy the school!" Hermione's face turned horror-stricken.

"How long do we have?" Ron asked.

"Can't tell! Sontaran numbers are in Base Six, thanks to the number of their digits. I can't convert them in my head, in an emergency!" the Doctor snapped.

"And that fire won't hold back a determined Rutan for long, will it?" Harry pointed out, glancing at the burning chair in the doorway.

"No…" The Doctor closed his eyes and thought furiously. Then his eyes lit up. The ghost of a smile hovered over his lips. "Right! Everybody - get into the TARDIS! If we hurry, we might just be able to save the school…"


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve:**

**The Last Stand**

"Come back here, yeh freak! So that I can pull yeh into tha' forcefield, too!"

The Rutan paused to look back down the stairwell as it at last reached the seventh-floor landing. The large, bearded human that its kindred being had attacked, after they emerged from their crashed escape pod – now hours ago – was on the far side of the dreaded Sontaran energy barrier that was threatening to catch up with it. Other humans were with the half-giant – all of them baring the strange weapons that were apparently called wands. The climb, and the swinging flights of steps, were holding the humans back – and their fired blasts were failing to penetrate the forcefield. Some of the little beings with the large ears were present too.

"Our magic is failing to break through that barrier!" someone cried out.

"Stunning spells ain't strong enough, then. The Fetch spell will work, I tell yeh! We jus' got to get close enough to yank tha' Rutan into tha' forcefield."

_They are unimportant. They will not destroy US._

The Rutan pulled itself on along the seventh-floor corridor – desperate to reach the Doctor and his group, before the energy barrier consumed it...

A roaring noise, somewhat like the cry of an elephant, start to fill the common room as the alien used its tendrils and the last of its strength to climb up the frame of the doorway and ease its jellyfish-like bulk across the inside wall. The flames and the smoke from the burning chair scorched it – but the creature was still alive, as it dropped down besides the latest hated obstacle in its quest for survival.

Close by, the body of the Sontaran leader lay dead – crushed beneath the broken statue of a female human.

The Rutan's satisfaction at seeing its mortal enemy defeated was soon dashed by the sight of the blue police box beginning to disappear. The description of the object was recorded in the files of Rutan Military Intelligence…

_NO! We WILL survive!_

With a spine-chilling screech of anger, the Rutan picked up speed – whipping its front tendrils around the Time Lord's ship…

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

"But… But this is…impossible!" Hermione Weasley gaped as she slowly turned on the spot in the TARDIS console room. She took in the central pillar column; the control panels set three hundred and sixty degrees around it, and the mechanical platform beneath her feet. The room itself was circular and roughly the size of a tennis court. The room was lit from lights set from within the ceiling.

"Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast," Luna remarked dreamily, her head contently slumped against Harry's firm shoulder – a serene smile on her lips as she took in the surroundings of the console room. Harry gladly held a gentle arm around her. Slumped next to the Potters, also resting in the seats that were set to one side of the dome-shaped room, were Ron and Lupin

Ron weakly chortled. "Only six things, Luna?"

Hermione looked across at her friends. A look of understanding spread across her face. "It's a quote from 'Alice In Wonderland', Ron!" I lent Luna my copy some months ago."

"That's right, Hermione. It's a strange Muggle book! But interesting," Luna remarked.

Harry smirked to himself as he pictured a younger Luna dressed up as Alice. A blonde-haired girl and bizarre creatures…? Just the right Muggle book for his wife to get stuck into.

"Doctor? The size of your ship... How's it done? Some sort of optical illusion, I expect…," Remus Lupin commented – adding his voice to the disbelief shared amongst the five wizards and witches, as to how the TARDIS interior was vastly different to the size of the exterior.

The Doctor paused in his manipulation of the controls, hearing Lupin's words. He gave the Werewolf Minister a double take "You're not the first one to say that! Look – let's say it's magic! Just a different kind to what you lot are used to… After all, before tonight, I would not have believed it possible for you wizards and witches to do what you can. It's still science you are actually performing, of course! Just a form that's beyond my present scientific understanding – advanced as it is…. Oh, and there's a _lot _more of the TARDIS to explore, through that door over there. Though I'd rather you stayed put here – instead of getting lost… Aha! We're arrived!"

The Perspex-like column had ceased its rising-falling motion, and the machinery surrounding it – in the centre of the glass-filled, metal-walled chamber – came to a grinding halt.

"Arrived where?" Harry asked.

"In the Control Room of the _Kelkarsis_, I expect, Harry," Luna declared in her usual calm, airy voice. She was gradually recovering from her exertions. "After all, we have to save the Headmaster and Professor Slughorn from becoming roasted sky confetti!"

"Ah! Good point…," Harry muttered.

The Doctor checked the mounted screen that was on an adjustable mechanical arm. Harry rose along with Luna and Hermione, and checked out the image.

"That's indeed where we are, Luna!" The Doctor beamed. "Now. Who feels recovered enough to help me get the Sontaran ship into the sky, before it blows? No pressure, mind…"

"Not us, I'm afraid," Professor Lupin called out from his seat as he leaned against the wall, along with Ron. "We're still worn out."

Hermione bit her lip. "I'd better stay here, and look after them."

Harry and Luna glanced at each other - then simultaneously faced the Doctor. "We'll head out with you, Doctor," Harry spoke for himself and Luna.

"Okay. Hermione… Second door on the right as you head down the corridor there's a kitchen. The cans of 'Black Nimon' in the refrigerator are energy drinks…" The Doctor vaguely waved his hand towards the far exit from the console room. Then he activated the door release button, pulled out his sonic screwdriver, and strode towards the front doors. "Potters - _allons se_!" he declared, the lower edges of his long brown overcoat trailing behind him.

Harry sighed, held his wand at the ready once more, and marched in step with Luna in the Doctor's wake.

As the Doctor exited the TARDIS however, he was halted in his tracks by a shouted warning.

"Doctor! Get down!" Professor Slughorn yelled across to him.

"_Semptumsempra!"_ Professor Flitwick fired the cutting spell at the tendril that was about to seize the emerging Time Lord from the side of the police box. The Rutan shrieked as it failed to fully absorb the advanced, darker magic – and it was blasted back a couple of feet into the corner of the _Kelkarsis_'s Control Room that the TARDIS had materialised in. Eyes wide, Harry, Luna, and Slughorn joined in on the attack – automatically using the same spell. The creature screamed as the offending limb dropped to the metal floor – severed. The Doctor held up his hand, and the spell casting stopped.

"You will _die_ for hurting us!" the Rutan warbled as its gelatinous mass throbbed.

"You just tried to attack me, Rutan!" the Doctor hissed back. "I wasn't expecting you here…"

"It was on your…box…when you appeared out of nowhere!" Slughorn exclaimed. "How did you do that?"

"I'll explain later! So, you managed to cling to the TARDIS just as I was making the short hop to here, Rutan! Well, you can have the Sontaran ship soon. Let me get it airborne for you, and the rest of us can all leave in the TARDIS…" The Doctor kept his eyes firmly on the wounded Rutan. "Deal?"

The single green eye glared back at him. "We would not have killed you – only stun! We desire that you take us to Ruta Three! The technology of your TARDIS is greater than this Sontaran vessel. We will work together to purge the galaxy of the Sontaran menace."

"Except that you and the other Rutan have proven yourself to be no better than the Sontarans. You murdered Lavender! You killed Fang. And your mate tried to kill Hagrid – before it succeeded in killing Shapiro," Harry retorted. "None of that should have happened!"

"You will not defy us!" The Rutan tried to lunge for Harry…

"_Incendrio!"_ Luna's wand shot forth a small dot of fire, which scorched the main body of the Rutan. Screaming, it slid away – hiding behind the nearest bank of controls.

"Doctor – get this ship up, up, and away!" Harry yelled. He turned, hearing a steady beeping from the main control panel. On the displays there, Sontaran numeric figures similar to those he had seen on Skane's wrist pad were constantly changing – marking the countdown. As he watched, the colour of the display changed from yellow to orange…

"Ooh…! I guess red must mean the last few Sontaran seconds," Luna deduced.

"You need the directional controls?" squeaked Flitwick.

"YES!" the Doctor agreed. "The rest of you – keep that Rutan pinned down! _Don't_ get too near to it!"

"There it is!" Slughorn exclaimed, as he carefully stepped around one bank of controls in order to sight the creature better, as it half-scampered and half-oozed away from him to seek cover behind the next set of consoles. The head of Slytherin house raised his wand. "_Petrificus Totalus!"_

The spell hit the Rutan – but instead of holding it rigid, the alien absorbed the magical attack, glowed, and then 'jumped' behind the far bank of consoles.

"Wh-?" spluttered Slughorn.

"The Rutan will absorb most of our spells. Use fire against it, Professor Slughorn! It doesn't like the heat!" Harry instructed him, yelling, as he ran over to the other side of the room, to ensure that the Rutan stayed put. En route, he glanced back at Flitwick, who had led the Doctor to the console that evidently held the navigation and speed controls. The pair of them were getting to grips with the bank of buttons, dials, and indicators…

"Harry – behind you!" Luna cried out.

Turning too late, Harry screamed as a green-white tendril lashed out from over the top of the console he had paused next to. The limb landed on his right shoulder, and an electric shock lanced through his body…

"_Semptumsempra!" _Professor Slughorn wasted no time. His cutting spell, aimed from just a few feet away, sliced through the offending tendril – and Harry fell to the hard, metal floor, landing on his back, along with his dropped wand and the dissected limb. From behind the console bank, he heard the Rutan cry out in agony.

"_You hurt Harry! !" _

Harry caught a glimpse of his wife's furious expression. He had never seen Luna look so mad before – and the thought crossed his mind that he was glad not be on the receiving end of her fury. Then Luna disappeared from his sight, as she rolled behind the far bank of consoles.

"_EXPULSO!"_ she shouted.

"_Yyyaaaggghhh! !"_

Luna had evidently aimed from floor level – as the blasting spell catapulted the Rutan upwards from its hiding place, and sent it slamming into the upper far corner of the Control Room – away from the TARDIS. The alien partly exploded with the force of Luna's emotional, concentrated, close-range blast. For a second or two, Harry saw a jagged mess of splayed tendrils, exposed internal organs, and an eye that was weeping with what apparently passed for Rutan blood. Then it slid down the metal wall, and vanished from his immediate sight.

"Never let the Black Cat cross your path, Rutan!" Luna gave the alien a piece of her mind – then she hurried over to Harry. A moment later, Slughorn was there too. Between them, the two helped him up.

"Harry! Are you all right?" Luna's silver-grey eyes were wide, fearing the worst.

"Yeah…," he gasped, and tried to move his limbs. The right shoulder throbbed, and the arm below it was feeling numb – and he told them so. "I'll recover… Is the Rutan dead?"

Luna shook her head, smiling slightly. "No – but it's going nowhere now," she declared, her light voice now regaining its usual calm, serene manner. "Here's your wand." She placed it in his left hand. Luna and Slughorn then carried Harry between them, as they carefully backed away from the corner where what remained of the Rutan stared at them balefully with its single eye.

Suddenly, the ship lurched. The Potters and Professor Slughorn stopped themselves from falling down, as power flooded the ship. There was a vibration – and then the sensation of lift.

The _Kelkaris_ was rising – taking off from its position above Ravenclaw Tower.

Two of the Rutan's tendrils quivered feebly, and then lashed at the underside of the nearest console, smashing the grill. The limbs probed deeper.

"Urr… Doctor…" Harry spoke through wheezing breaths.

"Hold on, Harry! I'm just checking on that forcefield," the Doctor snapped back. He turned away from the porthole he was standing at and beamed. "It's lifted from Ravenclaw Tower, in time with the ascent of this vessel. And the safety cut out I predicted has just cut in! A few meters from the hull of the _Kelkarsis,_ and it's evaporated. We've done it! Well done, Professor Flitwick."

"Glad to be of help…" The Headmaster smiled back.

"_Doctor!"_ Luna added her voice to Harry's.

The Time Lord snapped out of his moment of sheer relief to take in the Rutan in the corner. The green glow, which had almost vanished altogether after the blasting the Rutan had received from Luna, was now slowly building up strength again. The Doctor rushed over to join Professor Slughorn and the Potters. He took in the scene before him, and sucked in his breath.

"It's tapping into the nearest power cells, now that we're moving! Get into the TARDIS – quickly! All of you!"

With a last glance at the Rutan, Harry, Luna, and Slughorn hurried over to the police box, and disappeared inside. Meanwhile the Rutan glared at the Doctor.

"We…will…_survive!_ If we cannot journey…in your craft – then we will use…this one, now that you…have made it operational…for us. Our kind will hunt you…, Doctor! You will…_suffer_…the consequences…of defying us… But with your aid…, we can wipe out…the Sontarans, Our long war will finally _end_!"

The Doctor sadly shook his head. "Peace does sound the right way to go, doesn't it? Except that for as long as you lot and the Sontarans are at each other's throats, locked in stalemate – the better for everyone else in the galaxy. Now, if I could just get the Cybermen locked into a similar war against the Daleks…"

"Doctor! The console screens are turning red!" Professor Flitwick yelled out to him, from his adjusted high seat at the main control panel. "The ship is about to explode. The ghosts have gone now – it's just us left!"

"_Explode! ?"_ the Rutan gurgled. The green glowing mass actually gave a quiver.

"Oh? Didn't anyone tell you that, whilst you were trying to attack them? I guess not! By the way, I deactivated the speakers with my sonic screwdriver – so you won't hear the warning from the ship's computer." The Doctor cheerfully waved at the Rutan. "Anyway, must dash!"

He turned and sprinted – snatching up a startled Professor Flitwick in both arms on the way to the TARDIS.

By the time the Rutan had managed to withdraw its tendrils from the console circuits and used its newly-gained strength to flow halfway across the Control Room, the TARDIS door was not only shut, the blue box was dematilerising with its usual wheezy, mechanical groan.

"_STOP! !" _The screeching alien flung itself through the air, in a second attempt to whip its limbs around the TARDIS, before it was too late. This time, however, the Rutan hurtled through empty space and crashed to the metal floor. The police box had gone.

The _Kelkarsis_ continued to soar and travel away from the Hogwarts estate, locked on its plotted journey. The ship shook as the vibrations from the engines grew louder, throbbing ominously. The Rutan turned and saw the computer screens with the Sontaran numbers, now reaching single digits and flashing against a red background…

The killer of Fang and Lavender Brown screamed out its impotent rage – and then everything around it erupted into a ball of searing hot flame…

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

The TARDIS re-materialised next to Hagrid's hut. As soon as the noises and the flashing light on top of the police box ceased, the door opened inwards, and Harry stumbled outwards. Staggering, he fell upon the short grass next to the hut and rolled over. Luna ran out of the TARDIS to join him, followed by Ron, Hermione, Professors Flitwick, Lupin, and Slughorn. The Doctor emerged last. Everyone looked up at the pre-dawn sky, to see the light high on the western horizon which was outshining the visible stars and planets.

"Harry! You need to rest!" Luna admonished him, crouching down besides her husband.

He smiled and shook his head, as he rose up on one elbow. "I will do soon enough, Luna. But nothing was going to stop me from seeing this!"

"Dragon's dungballs!" Slughorn exclaimed, pointing up at the still-moving speak of bright light. "Did we really get that high? It must be a couple of miles up!"

"No wonder I was starting to get dizzy…," Lupin remarked drily.

"Yup, that's about right – and the Headmaster and I managed to steer it miles out over the Atlantic Ocean, so that when it blows…"

The Doctor's words were perfectly timed. With a brilliant flash and a terrific _'boom'_, the _Kelkarsis_ promptly exploded into countless pieces that radiated out from the blast and began to fall harmlessly into the sea below.

Flitwick cautiously glanced back at the TARDIS. The Doctor followed his gaze, and grinned.

"Just checking, Doctor…," the half-goblin sagely remarked, stroking his white beard.

"Oh absolutely, Headmaster! But the Rutan's definitely copped it this time. You're all now free from the grip of the Sontaran-Rutan war!"

"So Lavender's killer is now dead…," Ron muttered. The ends of his lips twitched into a faint smile. "Good."

Hermione wrapped her arm around Ron's shoulder. Silently, they sat down on the ground next to Harry and Luna. The Weasleys rested their heads together, and allowed the tears to fall from their eyes.

"We'll mourn for her, Ron. Before… Before she died, she told me she was glad that our relationship was working out," Hermione sniffed. "I just wish that she could've found happiness too. You know…?"

"Yeah," Ron responded. "Me, also."

Harry allowed himself to flop, back-first, against the ground as the tension of the last few hours finally started to leave him. Luna snuggled herself against her husband on his left side – avoiding his injured right shoulder.

"Poor Lavender and Fang…," Luna remarked sadly. "We'll all mourn for them. And for Poddy, Rose, and Nurse Shapiro. For the others, too."

Harry nodded mutely, not knowing what to say. He was tired and worn out. Right now, he felt in need of a healer, some hot food and drink, and a warm bed. Twenty four hours sleep would not go amiss, either…

"Still – we're all alive. And we all have each other. We can enjoy Christmas, after all," Luna added, gazing into Harry's face. "You look very peaceful, Harry!"

He tilted his face slightly to one side, and began to chortle - then laugh. When he recovered his breath, he reached up with his hands to Luna's face – just above his own – and removed her eye-mask. Smiling serenely, Luna carefully lifted Harry's spectacles off his head. Then they kissed – slowly and tenderly.

The moment was interrupted by the canter of hooves and cheering.

Wincing, Harry and Luna carefully half-rose and turned round. Along with Ron, Hermione, Remus Lupin, the Doctor, and Professors Flitwick and Slughorn, they saw the relieved faces of the centaurs Firenze, Susan Bones, Neville, Charlotte, and Epona emerge from the western edge of the Forbidden Forest – along with Ernie Macmillan, Oliver Wood, Clifford Chagoja, the Patil twins, and the other escapees, as they in turn spotted the heroes of the hour.

"Oh… I was hoping for a healer…," Harry grumbled.

Luna giggled. "I'll get Charlotte to work some of her centaur herbs on you! Then we can both do what we want."

"They got out! Well done, you guys. The forcefield's gone!" Clifford whooped and was the first to rush forward to slap the backs of his pack mates.

As if on cue, Winky and several of the House Elves then apparated nearby. Seeing Harry's party, she gave a squeal.

"They are safe! They too have survived, friend Corper!"

There then promptly followed the pounding of short legs running over to Harry and his friends. Flitwick tried not to get run over by the stampeding elves.

"Hey! Not all at once!" Ron protested.

Hermione dried her tears away. She managed to find it within herself to still be able to smile. "Yes… Ron's right, guys. Form an orderly queue!"

"I can't believe you destroyed school property, 'Mione!" Harry heard Ron mutter. "I heard that Professor Flitwick's quite fond of that statue of Rowena Ra…"

"Ron – _hush!_ Not whilst the Headmaster's here!" Hermione protested.

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

Epilogue: Revelation

Charlotte – aided by Neville and Susan – helped to treat the wounds of Harry, Luna, Ron, and Hermione. Meanwhile, the Headmaster and the other injured staff each made their own choice - by either waiting for their turn for treatment by the centaurs - or by turning up at the Hospital Wing, where Professor Lupin and the recovered Pomona Sprout got things organised. The Werewolf Minister, when he was strong enough to do so, also apparated to St Mungo's and brought back a team of healers.

The sun was up by the time the Potters returned to their set of rooms, to collapse into bed – not bothering to take off their Marvel hero costumes. As for Ron and Hermione, although the passage of the forcefield through the school had reduced the bodies of the fallen into ashes, the memory of Lavender's still body – plus the still-visible remains of her dried blood – meant that they ended up sleeping together on the floor of Harry and Luna's lounge, curled underneath spare blankets. Whilst attendants from St Mungo's cleared up the Weasley's living room.

The dawn hours were a bit hazy for Harry, tired and fatigued as he was, before he retired to bed. He did recall seeing the Doctor helping out the staff and the ex-pupils.

It was mid-afternoon when Harry, Luna, Ron, and Hermione all got up, washed, dressed, and ate a late breakfast at the staff table in the Great Hall, provided by the House Elves. The wreckage from the night before was still being cleaned up by the recovered Professor Faraday, Hagrid, Argus Filch, Oliver Wood, and other volunteers – even as the New Marauders ate. The Christmas tree was being re-erected, and the broken decorations fixed by Professor Faraday.

Skane's helmet was still on the table, where the commander had left it, as a sign of the Sontaran occupation. Harry mused that it would be presented, along with the Sontaran weapons, as evidence for the enquiry that the Ministry would surely be asked to carry out – to determine exactly what had happened at Hogwarts during the night...

"It was Jason, by the way!" Luna suddenly announced, brushing back a lock of her hair – which she had now magically restored to her usual dirty-blonde colour.

"Eh?" Ron looked up, whilst his cereal-filled spoon was just going into his mouth.

" 'From July to November, this man makes himself gradually known over time, each year. What is his name…?'. The riddle to enter the Ravenclaw Common Room, last night," Luna explained.

"Erm… I don't get it, Lu…," Harry admitted.

"Well, why did the door specify July to November?" Mrs Potter smiled.

Hermione started counting on her fingertips. "July, August, September, October, and November… Oh, I see! The initial letters of the months…"

Harry nodded his understanding. "JASON. Still – Skane got us all into the room, anyway…"

Ron chuckled at the memory of the Sontaran inadvertently breaking down the door. "That's right. She used her head!"

"Poor Euan and Rose…," Hermione commented. "Remus told me the remains of their disintegrated bodies were found in a cupboard, in the Divination classroom. The Rutan that killed them must have put their corpses in there."

"Poor Poddy!" Luna remarked – following on from Hermione, as she stared sadly into her porridge. "Winky told me that Poddy was the best porridge maker amongst the House Elves! Still, today's is quite good…"

Harry nodded mutely. He watched as the Great Hall was gradually restored to its former order from before last night. "Poor Hagrid!" he added "Losing Fang… And Lavender's family… It won't be much of a Christmas for them… Same for Euan's and Rose's relatives."

"Not a happy time for them. No…," Hermione agreed. She stopped munching on her toast, and looked thoughtful. Then, clearing her throat, she turned to Harry.

"Do you have the Marauder's Map with you, Harry?"

"Matter of fact, I do. Why?"

"Is the Doctor still around?"

Activating the map, Harry and Ron found the label with the strange name walking out of the Hospital Wing, and heading out of the school. He disappeared off the map, heading for…

"The Black Lake. He's gone for a walk," Ron concluded.

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

The foursome found the Doctor on the hillock overlooking the lake and the loch. He was sat on the grass with his legs folded vertically before him, arms wrapped around his knees, staring out across the water and the horizon of mountains and hills beyond, lit up by the early winter sun which was already dipping towards the sea, towards the mouth of the loch. Grey clouds were filling the sky, coming in from the east – and the temperature was dropping. The forecast on the wizard radio network had apparently been for snow, Harry had learnt.

"You've been a Time-Traveller for a long time, have you not?" Luna asked the Doctor.

He turned, startled out of his pensive thoughts. "Oh! It's you four. I didn't hear you coming. All recovered, now?"

"Just about. Nothing like a long sleep after fighting all night to stay alive – again." Ron smiled ruefully.

"You won't have heard us creeping up on you. We're all werewolves, remember?" Harry pointed out. "Even in our human forms we can move silently – if we put our minds to it."

"When Ron's stomach doesn't growl and give us anyway, in any case…," Hermione added, smiling at her other half.

"Hey! I resent that, Hermione…"

"Anyway… Luna asked you a question, Doctor." Harry nodded to his wife.

The Doctor stood up. "Weelll…," he said – drawing out the word 'well'. "Yes. I'm a lot older than I look, me! I've been travelling through Time and Space for most of my lives…"

"And you are lonely," Luna added. "I was reading your expression. It spoke volumes, just before we disturbed you."

The mock cheeriness vanished from the Doctor's face. He closed his eyes, sighed, and then looked again at the four young adults before him.

"I get lonely sometimes, yes. Usually I have companions – but of late, it's just been me…"

"Do you have any family?" Harry decided to ask.

"Ahh… I'm not really sure exactly where and _when_ my granddaughter last ended up. There was a war between my people and another, terrible race, you see… My home world was lost in the conflict – and I also lost track of anyone of my race who wasn't caught up in the fighting…" The Doctor trailed off, his eyes clouding over.

Hermione stepped forward. "Doctor, I was wondering…"

"Hmm…? What is it, Hermione?"

"If you can travel in time… Can you go back a day - and re-write time? Knowing what you do now, could you get to Hogwarts _earlier_ and warn us about the Rutans and Sontarans…."

"And save those who died?"

"Well… Yes."

"I can't, I'm afraid." The Doctor sighed. "I would risk crossing my own time-line. It would cause all sorts of problems with the fabric of time."

"Er… Come again?" Ron narrowed his eyes.

"Think of it as a single falling domino causing a whole set to cascade. Then swiftly spreading out to topple a whole mountain of them…"

"Ahh…" Hermione bit her lip, getting the gist. "Rather like Harry and I having to avoid meeting ourselves, when we used the Time-Turner to save Sirius and Buckbeak, Ron…"

"Even if the Doctor did come…_earlier_, Harry would still accuse him of being Crouch Junior, anyway, 'Mione," Ron considered

"And that's your curse, isn't it?" Harry spoke up, as he read Luna's expression. "You go around from situation to situation, helping people. But you can't save them all."

"No, Harry. I can't. That's exactly it. I just try to save as many people as I can, first time round. Usually, I don't seem to do too badly. But sometimes I can't prevent people from making mistakes, or from getting killed." He shrugged sadly. "I've had to accept that. I can't allow myself to go mad over my failings…"

"Hermione?" Ron interrupted, seeing his wife slump forward and clutch at her stomach. "Are you alright?"

"Uhhh! That queasiness from last night… It's struck again, Ron!" Hermione took a deep breath, and rubbed her eyes. She leaned a hand on Ron's shoulder as he looked worriedly at her.

"Hermione…? Are you hurt? Do you need one of the healers?" Harry asked, disturbed at the sudden onset of another problem.

"I'm… It'll pass. Thanks, Harry."

"Tell you what…" The Doctor beamed. "Let's get over to the TARDIS and give you a look over, Hermione. Trust me – I'm a Doctor!"

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

About half an hour later, Hermione stepped down from the metal platform and walked out of the cubicle-like contraption which was in one of the TARDIS rooms. It resembled a hospital examination room, thanks to the probes and control panels on display in the room.

The Doctor saw the pale look on Hermione's face as she started to shake, and he motioned her over to the nearest chair, as he rose from the monitoring control panel.

"I… I didn't realise…," Hermione stuttered.

"Well, now we know…" The Doctor gave the young witch a sympathetic smile. "Ron's just outside, in the corridor. Do you want to tell him – or let me do it?"

"No… I should be…the one. I'll tell him." Hermione took a deep breath to steady herself – then she released it. "Okay… Ready or not – here goes…"

She slowly stood up. The Doctor unlocked the door, and his patient walked outside to meet Ron in the white-panelled corridor. He stopped his pacing, and looked back at her.

" 'Mione! Wh-what is it…? Is it…bad…?"

"There's… There's something you have to know, Ron," Hermione admitted.

Seconds later, Ron's voice rang along the corridor, reaching the ears of Harry and Luna, who were looking over the TARDIS controls in the Console Room (with Harry stopping Luna from operating any of the controls, least they accidently took off again).

"_What! ! ?"_ they heard their friend cry out.

"Uh-oh…" Harry and Luna spoke simultaneously. They shared a worried look. Then they bolted along the corridor leading out of the Console Room, to see the Weasleys enfolded in a tight hug. Hermione and Ron broke apart, to turn and face the oncoming Potters.

"Hermione? Ron? What's wrong? Why are you both crying? Is it something serious?" Harry's heart hammered in his chest. He glanced at the Doctor, who stood, leaning in the doorway of the medical room with his arms folded – his expression guarded and neutral.

"Um… Harry. I'm…," Hermione croaked.

"Oh!" Luna's eyes lit up. _"I understand…!"_

"Hermioneispregnantandwe'rehavingababy!" Ron gabbled, his face as white as his wife's.

For a long moment, Harry could not speak. Then, seeing the Doctor smile, he made a noise halfway between a choke and a laugh. Suddenly, Harry whooped and enthusiastically patted Ron on the shoulder – before giving his pack sister a big hug. Then it was Luna's turn to congratulate Hermione and Ron, as she embraced and kissed them on their cheeks.

"Well… Well done, you two!" Harry felt his anxiety evaporate. "Um… When did you…? Er, when was the…conception?"

"Um, it must have been during our voluntary hunting night around the middle of November." Hermione looked down momentarily. "When Ron and I were…coupling…as wolf people…"

"Oh, my!" Luna's eyes grew wider still. "Moony will see his wish come true – a werewolf pack playmate for Teddy!" And it seemed to Harry that Luna was now giving him the same puppy-eyed look she had back in the Great Hall, when Remus Lupin and the four of them had been in conversation at the party, the night before. And then suddenly, Luna seemed to change the subject – only by now Harry knew his wife well enough to sense that she had not.

"I think we should keep our Marvel costumes, Harry, don't you? For role play in the bedroom…"

"Erm…" Harry couldn't stop himself from grinning, as he pictured the scene. "Yes. Definitely, Black Cat! I mean - _Luna!"_

"Stop! I don't need to hear this!" the Doctor interrupted, clamping his hands over his ears. "Still, after the tragedies of last night, you've now got a really good reason to enjoy Christmas. So, when you're ready to go…"

Luna gave the Doctor a sad look. "You're planning to leave us, are you not, Doctor?"

He dropped his hands. "Well… Yes, Luna. I'm a traveller. I have no home – except for the TARDIS. And I'd rather not get dragged into whatever enquiry your people would hold…"

"But the Sontaran bodies were disintegrated by the forcefield, as it passed through them! There's only scraps of their armour left," Hermione told him. "The Ministry of Magic will need you to help supply the answers as to what happened…"

"The Ministry won't hold you as an illegal alien, Doctor," Luna astutely remarked. "Remus is a minister! He will repay the gratitude of Hogwarts to you…"

"As we will, matey," Ron piped in.

"At the least, leave us a written statement or something – for us to pass on," Harry suggested.

"Er… I'll think about it." The Doctor tried to fob him off.

"Besides… Christmas is nearly here! Do you have anywhere to go, this Christmas? Anyone to be with?" Harry pressed him.

"To be honest… No."

"Then stay at Hogwarts with us – at least for the Christmas holidays," Hermione proposed. "I, for one, want to know who and _what_ you are!"

"Yes… Skane called you a 'Time Lord'," Harry added, frowning. "Are you from the future?"

The Doctor gave him a sad smile. "I'm not even human, Harry. My race was called the Time Lords. And they were lost in a war… I'm a renegade. I ran away from home, a long time ago, to explore the universe. I've met so many different species. Fought against lots of enemies. Travelled to so many different times and places…"

"Including all over this world?" Ron's eyes widened.

"Yes. _Especially_ this world."

"Then you can teach us so much!" Hermione exclaimed. "Witches and Wizards could learn much from you. Er… If it's prudent for you to tell us, that is?"

The Doctor laughed good-humouredly. "And what would be the first thing you lot would ask me?"

"Have you ever seen a colony of Crumple-Horned Snorkacks?" Luna asked earnestly.

"Er… _What?"_ The Doctor frowned.

"Just wondering…"

"Ah… Don't worry about that… Will you stay for a while at Hogwarts, and teach us something about yourself and your experiences, Doctor?" Harry firmly put to him.

"Weelll…" The Doctor gave a lop-sided grin. "Okay. If I can learn about you witches and wizards – and work out the scientific means of how you lot do…what you do. And if I can learn more about how, as a pack, you control your werewolf natures…"

"Deal!" Harry shook his hand. "Only it's not science we perform – it's magic!"

"Science! Any technology that is sufficiently advanced will come across as magic to those not familiar with it!" the Doctor shot back as he led Harry, Luna, Ron, and Hermione along the corridor and through the Console Room. Once outside, the Doctor locked the door.

"_Magic!"_ the Potters and the Weasleys managed to cry out in unison, smirking.

"Face it, mate. You're outnumbered!" Ron pointed out.

The Doctor shook his head – then threw up his arms in good-natured exasperation. "Fine – I hope nobody else is going to be holding me at wand-point!"

"Maybe we'll just surround you, as hungry wolves, then," Luna suggested, smiling to her grinning friends.

"Oh no! Don't you lot dare!" retorted the Doctor. "I'll defend myself with my trusty blue wand here... Er, I mean my sonic screwdriver! Hah-hah! That'll make your furry ears flatten…"

"Hold on! You've visited the past – haven't you? You said you've met Queen Victoria," Harry pointed out.

"Yes… I have."

"Perhaps you could teach history in the Muggle Studies class, then!" Hermione declared brightly.

"Oh no! The last time I was a supply teacher was eventful enough, thank you!" the Doctor answered back.

The five of them turned and faced the castle – taking in the walls, towers and battlements outlined against the pink glow of the setting sun. Ron and Hermione held each other's hand – as did Harry and Luna – the two couples feeling happy and content, having managed to survive grim danger and death once again. Then all five of them started walking back to the school, just as the grey clouds rolling overhead unleashed their load and the first flakes of snow began to fall…

END OF EPISODE THREE – AND…THE END!

End notes

Whew! This has been my most challenging story to write. I got fed up of waiting for the BBC to re-introduce the Rutans in the new version of Doctor Who – so I came up with the idea of having the Sontaran-Rutan war come knocking on the doors of Hogwarts. The latest Doctor Who Adventure Game from the BBC, does however involve the two races still fighting each other, on Earth...

Hopefully, the Doctor Who fans amongst you will have picked up on the numerous reference jokes. For example, Remus Lupin's reaction to the interior of the TARDIS being bigger on the inside: 'How's it done? Some sort of optical illusion, I expect…," is a reference to the Brigadier entering the TARDIS for the first time in 'Doctor Who: The Three Doctors'.

The cans of 'Black Nimon' are my Doctor Who-reference twist on a certain Muggle energy drink… And the Doctor was a supply teacher in the TV episode 'School Reunion'.

If you have spotted mistakes, contact me. Please let me know what you thought to the story! A lot of time and care and effort went into this!

RMB


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